Pitch Black: To Have Found Another
by Nova Rhea9d3
Summary: A teenage girl is taken aboard the Hunter-Gratzner. How will things turn out once the ship crash lands on a desert planet, and she finds that the only other surviving convict is none other than the infamous Richard B. Riddick? Re-Edited
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Pitch Black, I only own Nova Rhea

Name: Nova Rhea (Ray)

Age: 16

Appearance: Medium brown skin, dark brown eyes, dark brown, mid-back length hair. 5'1"

Abilities: She has sensitive senses, like that of a blind person but she's not; her eyes, however, are normal. The down side of this being that loud noises can actually cause her physical pain, and her sense of smell can sometimes be a bad thing if she's in areas where bad odors are at their peak, or if she's near people who aren't concerned about their personal hygiene.

Rhea found herself walking aboard the Hunter-Gratzner with several other passengers. Some were staff, some were normal passengers, and some were convicts.

Everyone that boarded had to be put into cryo-stasis chambers, because the journey was going to be far and long.

The passengers were being escorted to their cryo-stasis chambers a group at a time. One of the chambers caught Rhea's attention, because it seemed to harbor a beast of a man. Every muscle in his body was bulging under his tanned skin, he stood about 6'0" or so, maybe taller, he had a shaved head, and was decked out in all black attire. He had his eyes covered and had what looked to be a horse bit in his mouth, and was chained up as well. And though he had a blindfold over his head, he seemed to follow the group as they passed by his chamber.

To answer the question of what category Rhea fell under as a passenger on the ship, would be a convict.

Like the guy chained up in his cryo-stasis chamber, Rhea was also decked out in all black. She wore a black wife beater, black cargo pants, and black mid-top converse.

Rhea had heard that going into cryo-stasis was like going into a coma, and she heard that when someone goes into a coma, it only feels like they've been out for a few minutes, when in reality they could have been out for a few years.

As Rhea got into her chamber she was told that she would be ejected once they got to where it was they were going, and would be handed over to whichever slam was supposed to be receiving her.

Rhea's last moments of freedom would involve her sleeping in a cryo-stasis chamber. Every teenage girl's dream.

Rhea had been out for what seemed like 10 minutes when she started hearing a really loud alarm go off, and saw red lights flashing through her eyelids.

"Seriously?" Rhea said, thoroughly annoyed at the noise and lights.

Rhea was ejected from her chamber and had to stand against it to keep her balance. Rhea looked around and saw everything was in ruins, which woke her up out of her half sleep.

"What? What the hell is going on?" Rhea said panicked.

Rhea looked around to see if anyone else had been ejected from their chambers. If they had been, then they had already left out of that part of the ship, or what was left of it since one whole side of it was gone. Rhea walked/stumbled around the ship, and ended up walking past the chamber of the man who she had labeled, 'The Beast'. It was empty. The glass had been smashed so Rhea could only assume that, 'The Beast', forced his way out.


	2. This Is Garbage!

Rhea had turned several corners, making sure to stay alert incase, 'The Beast', was near by. Rhea had seen that there were others alive on the ship as she roamed around, and had met Johns and Fry near the control room. There were a few other people around them, helping get others out of their chambers. Once Johns saw Rhea, he handcuffed her on the spot.

Rhea and Johns were now wandering the ship, looking for Riddick. Rhea had heard stories about him, and how he was ruthless in his killings, and feared by all. The stories had made Rhea not want to catch Riddick in a dark alley by herself.

"You know, if you acted less like a convict and more like a normal teenage girl, I could let you walk around without those handcuffs on." Johns said, seemingly trying to bargain with Rhea.

"Blow me, Johns, blow me." Rhea said, with little enthusiasm.

"Okay then, but you can't say I never gave you an option." Johns said.

Johns and Rhea walked in almost complete silence after that, that is until Rhea had a question.

"Hey, Johns?" Rhea said.

"Yeah?" Johns said, looking back for a quick second.

"If Riddick is so dangerous, how did you manage to catch him?" Rhea said. 'A guy like that couldn't have been taken down that easy.' Rhea thought, remembering how ripped Riddick was.

"Well - " Johns said, before a pair of legs with chains on them came down and started

strangling him.

"Holy shit!" Rhea said, stumbling backwards out of surprise.

Rhea watched as Johns struggled against being strangled.

Johns took out his night stick and started beating the person's legs with it.

Rhea thought the person had let go because the night stick had hurt them, but on closer inspection, she found out that while Johns was struggling one of the pipes gave way and whomever had been trying to strangle him, was on the ground along with him.

It turned out to be _the _Richard B. Riddick. He was only about 2 or 3 feet away from Rhea on the ground. Rhea just sat there and stared at Riddick's form, dumbfounded.

Johns got up and was about to hit Riddick with the night stick again when Riddick held up his handcuffed hands, making Johns decide to lower it.

"One of these days someone's going to get hurt, and it's not going to be me." Johns said.

Rhea couldn't help but let out a small scoff, making Johns look back at Rhea.

"What was that for?" Johns said, as he hauled Riddick up to his feet.

"Nothing, it's just from all the stories I've heard about this guy, I highly doubt he would be the one getting hurt." Rhea said.

"Hm." Riddick said.

It was all Riddick could manage to get out because he still had the horse bit in his mouth.

Rhea was no longer scared to death by him, well she still a bit scared, but she started to see Riddick as interesting.

'How did, Johns, end up catching, Riddick? How did they manage to get, Riddick, on the ship in the first place?' Rhea thought.

* * *

Rhea, Riddick, and Johns got to a part on the ship where Johns decided he was going to chain Riddick to a pole.

"That doesn't seem very civilized. How long are you going to leave him here for?" Rhea said.

"First off it's not how long I'm going to leave _him_ here, it's how long I'm going to leave the _both_ of you here." Johns said, while restraining Riddick.

"What? You can't be serious!" Rhea said, surprised that she would be left alone in a room with the most infamous convict ever heard of.

"Yup, while we survey the damage on the ship, you can watch him." Johns said, starting to remove Rhea's handcuffs.

Rhea cooperated since she was too tired to fight back, due to all the excitement she had experienced in a such a short time.

"But if he were to get loose he could easily kill me." Rhea said displeased.

"I've heard that you can be pretty dangerous yourself. I'm sure you could do some damage to him before he ends you. Plus, you could keep him company while we get things sorted out for the most part." Johns said, done chaining Riddick to the pole.

"This is garbage!" Rhea said, still talking to Johns as he left the area.

Rhea sank down and sat on the floor, she looked up to see Riddick staring at her. Even though Riddick had the blindfold on, he still seemed able to see her. Rhea looked back at him for a moment, then she got up and moved from one side of the pole to the other. Riddick's head seemed to follow Rhea wherever it was that she went. Rhea decided to get right in Riddick's face and wave her hand in front of it. Rhea wasn't sure what possessed her to do so, maybe her curiosity just got the better of her.

Rhea almost died of a heart attack when Riddick had moved forward; she hadn't realize he had enough chain to do so. Riddick started sniffing Rhea, he had to be about 2 inches from her face, at the most.

"Um, what are you doing?" Rhea said, genuinely weirded out by Riddick's actions.

Rhea couldn't make herself move.

"Do I stink?" Rhea said, now surveying her own smell.

In Rhea's opinion, she smelled almost the same way she did when she got on the ship, the only thing different about her was that she smelled slightly like the ship's cryo-stasis chambers. The cryo-stasis chambers barely had a smell though..


	3. You Smell Like Me

"Um?" Rhea said, turning her face away from Riddick's.

Riddick sniffed along Rhea's neck one more time before moving back a little. Riddick stood up and started to pop his arms out of his sockets, while lifting them over his head. Once Riddick got his chains over the pole, he popped his arms back into place. While Riddick had been doing so, he let out a groan indicating that the action had hurt.

Rhea knew that if she had ever tried to do the same, that she'd have ended up injuring herself.

Riddick walked up to Rhea after taking off his restraints and blindfold, and held her in place while he started sniffing her again. Riddick ran his nose across Rhea's hair. Rhea made sure to stay as still and as calm as possible; her heart was beating a mile a minute.

"You smell like me." Riddick said, after about a minute or so.

"What does that mean?" Rhea said, a bit shaky.

"It means that out of all the survivors, I'll be less likely to kill _you_." Riddick said, right by Rhea's ear, making her shiver.

"I guess that's a good thing then?" Rhea said.

"Very." Riddick said, smirking. "Stay out of trouble for now."

"I can't promise anything." Rhea said. Rhea looked up and around to find that Riddick was gone. "I guess I'm talking to myself then."

* * *

Rhea ran into Shazza while walking the halls. By now, what was left of the crew was able to go off and look for survivors. Rhea, Fry, Shazza, Johns, Jack, Paris, Zeke, Imam and his acolytes had to go out in groups to make sure they didn't lose anyone while they were looking for survivors, and now Riddick.

"So…" Johns said.

Rhea was currently helping Johns with something.

"How exactly did he get out?" Johns said.

"How did who get out?" Rhea said.

"Don't play dumb with me. Riddick. Who else?" Johns said, not in the mood for games.

"Oh, him." Rhea said, earning an eye roll from Johns. "Yeah, he walked out."

"He walked out?" Johns said, now looking straight at Rhea.

"Yes." Rhea said, nodding her head like it was the most obvious thing. "He walked out."

"How was he able to just walk out? He was chained to a pole." Johns said.

"That he was." Rhea said, leaning against a wall while making a facial expression and shaking her finger in a way that said. 'You're right on the money there.'

"You know what? Never mind!" Johns said, having had enough of Rhea's smart attitude.

The crew was ready to leave the ship to go looking for other people. The place was a desert, it was so hot that Rhea started sweating within minutes.

"I wish I had some sun block." Rhea said, putting her hair up in a high ponytail.

"Some water would be good too." Fry said, walking along side Rhea.

"Yeah, that too, especially." Rhea said, looking straight ahead.

The only thing that was available to drink was Paris' wine, and Rhea was told that it actually makes you dehydrate faster.

The crew had been walking for a while when they stumbled upon what looked like a group of trees. Rhea started running, she was excited and smiling wide.

"Trees mean water~!" Rhea said, in a sing song voice.

Imam's acolytes followed behind Rhea. When they finally got to what Rhea had thought were trees, they found out they were actually the bones of a huge dead creature, in fact, the whole area was a boneyard.

Though Rhea was a bit disappointed, she was still glad that they had at least found shade, she couldn't say the same for everyone else though.

Rhea went into the cave-like skeleton, and the further she went into it the stronger the feeling of being watched got to her. Rhea stopped once she found a good place to rest.

When Rhea closed her eyes she was able to sense someone near by. Rhea thought it was Johns checking the skeleton out again, so she didn't see any reason to be on guard.

"So, come here often?" A deep voice said.

Rhea jumped from being startled.

"Oh, it's just you." Rhea said, seeing that it had been Riddick.

" 'Oh, it's just you?' That's all you have to say to me?" Riddick said, before sniffing the air. "So, you're becoming less wary of me now?" Riddick said, looking at Rhea from above while smiling a predator-like smile.

Rhea moved out from under Riddick, making sure not to let him get behind her.

"You've heard the stories. You're not supposed to let your guard down around me." Riddick said, getting down from where he was hiding.

Rhea and Riddick started to do the predator/prey waltz; Riddick looked past Rhea every few seconds.

"Yeah, but it's not like I'm any kind of threat to you. I'm nothing special." Rhea said.

Rhea should have noticed why Riddick kept looking past her. There had been a bone Rhea hadn't noticed behind her, and now her back was against it.

If Rhea isn't familiar with her surroundings, then she's not able to sense what should or shouldn't be there.

Before Rhea could move, Riddick was in front of her pinning her against the bone.

"That's what you think." Riddick said.

'Obviously this guy doesn't care for respecting one's personal space.' Rhea thought.

"How so?" Rhea said, now pretty shaky.

"I told you. You smell like me." Riddick said, smelling Rhea like he had done earlier.

"Because you're against me. People can transfer scents that way, it used to happen between me and my friends all the time." Rhea said, getting tired of Riddick's bad habit.

"No, that's not it." Riddick said, stopping.

Riddick put his face down so he was looking directly at Rhea. Rhea couldn't help but look up at Riddick. Riddick lifted up his goggles, allowing Rhea to see his eyes. Riddick had gotten a shine job done on his eyes.

Riddick's eyes were impressive, but Rhea didn't think she could have brought herself to get a shine job done on her own eyes. The procedures could either turn out very successful or very unfortunate, you risk your health when going through with it.

Riddick lowered his face to Rhea's, and just stared into her eyes for what seemed like forever.

"What are you looking for?" Rhea said.

"I'm trying to see what you hold in your eyes." Riddick said, his gaze never leaving Rhea's, expression never changing.

"That would be pupils, veins, skin, and fluids." Rhea said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Rhea saw something smolder in Riddick's eyes like a flame, she started to feel uneasy.

"Um, someone's going to come looking for me, so I should probably go." Rhea said.

Riddick took a step backwards and lowered his goggles back down.

"I was never here." Riddick said.

"Right." Rhea said.

Rhea was about to go out when she saw Fry coming. Rhea thought that Fry had seen her, but the way Rhea was angled made it so that Fry didn't. Johns came shortly after. Rhea moved back into the shadows and bent down so that Johns and Fry would be less likely to see her if they stood up.


	4. I'm Not Your Captain

Rhea saw Riddick start to pull out a bone shiv after Fry had sat down.

"What are you doing?" Rhea said, in a hushed voice.

"Shh." Riddick said.

Johns had come over and offered Fry a bottle of alcohol.

"Drink?" Johns said.

"I probably shouldn't do this. It dehydrates you even more." Fry said, taking it.

"You know, you could have stayed back at the ship. If we don't find water you know what happens." Johns said.

"I wanted to get away." Fry said.

"I've never seen a captain so ready to leave her ship." Johns said.

"I think we should keep moving." Fry said, getting to her feet.

"If that was me, I might have touched the handle." Johns said.

Fry didn't say anything back.

"This stays between you and me, Carolyn. I promise." Johns said.

Rhea saw Riddick get closer to the back of Fry's neck, but she couldn't bring herself to call out to Fry because she was trying to figure out what Johns was talking about.

"I'm not your captain." Fry said.

Riddick got even closer, shiv behind Fry's neck on the inside of the cage like bone structure.

"During landing when things were at their worst,… Owens was at his best. …He's the one that stopped the docking pilot from dumping the main cabin." Fry said.

At this point, Riddick started backing off a bit.

"The passengers." Fry said.

"And the docking pilot being…?" Johns said.

Riddick took the shiv and cut some of Fry's hair; Rhea found this a bit odd.

Fry's silent response said it all for Rhea.

'She was going to dump us to save herself?' Rhea thought shocked.

"I guess I'm more glad to be here then I thought." Johns said, putting his hat on Fry's head.

Riddick had sniffed the hair he took from Fry.

"Creeper." Rhea said, after Fry and Johns had walked away.

"Just collecting her scent, is all." Riddick said.

"Well, I better get going then?" Rhea said, while getting up.

Riddick offered Rhea his hand to help get to her feet.

"If you say so, kid." Riddick said.

Riddick held Rhea's hand little longer than was necessary. Rhea thought that Riddick had been looking her in the eyes, but he was actually looking down farther. Because of the height difference, it was hard to tell at first. Riddick's smirk was what gave it away.

"You're such a creeper!" Rhea said, hitting Riddick in the arm playfully.

"Well, if they weren't so in my face, I probably wouldn't have been staring." Riddick said, grabbing Rhea's other hand to bring her closer to him.

"Rhea!" Johns said, calling for her.

"Coming!" Rhea said. Rhea started to go before she turned back to face Riddick one last time. "So, I'll see you later then?"

"Maybe." Riddick said, leaning against the bones, smirking.

* * *

The crew had stumbled upon a camp while walking aimlessly. There was a machine that Imam said had been the source of the water there. Some of the crew were checking it out until Fry started yelling something about New Mecca, she had found a skiff that was in decent enough condition, it just needed a bit of patching up.

Shazza, Paris, Jack and Rhea went looking for metal pieces they could use to help patch up the skiff. Paris had come down from the post he sat on to watch out for the others, and asked them if they had made the noise he had heard.

"No, they've been with me the whole time." Shazza said.

They heard the noise again, and Jack went to look through the holes of the hull they were in.

"Riddick." Jack mouthed.

Jack and Paris had positioned themselves at one side of the door, while Shazza positioned herself on the other. Rhea stood a little across from Jack and Paris on the wall away from the door. If they started to fight, Rhea didn't want to be hit in the crossfire. Shazza had the scythe in her hands, ready to swing if necessary.

When the figure got close to the door, Shazza started to swing but stopped when Jack yelled for her to stop. It had been another surviving passenger.

"Oh my God. I thought I was the only one who got out of the crash alive." The man said.

All of a sudden there were gun shots, and Shazza was covered in the man's blood. No one had been expecting it. When the man fell, they saw that it was Zeke who had shot him. Zeke lowered his weapon once he saw the man fall.

"It was just somebody else. It was just somebody else from the crash!" Jack yelled at Zeke.

"Crikey. I thought it was him, I thought it was Riddick." Zeke said, surveying the damage he had done.

Rhea looked at the man, then up when she felt they were being watched. Riddick was in Paris' chair drinking his alcohol. Rhea would've smiled at Riddick if it weren't for the fact that everyone else would have looked, and there was a dead man at their feet, so she just got out of the hull making sure to avoid looking in Riddick's direction.

"We have to bury him, _now_." Rhea said, looking at Zeke.

* * *

Rhea went with Zeke to bury the body. When they got to the hole, Zeke had been digging earlier, they saw a smaller hole inside it that they hadn't noticed being there before. Zeke went down to survey it.

"Be careful." Rhea said.

Rhea had her feet hanging over the edge of the hole.

"Of course, _mum_." Zeke said.

"Just looking out for you." Rhea said.

Rhea lied back and draped her arms over her face to shield it from the sun. After a few moments Rhea heard screams and gunfire from below, she immediately got up from the ledge and looked over into the hole.

"Zeke!" Rhea said.

Rhea had been about to jump in to help Zeke when someone caught her arm.

"You'll be doing more harm than good if you try to help." Riddick said.

"But…!" Rhea said.

All Rhea could do was watch Zeke continue to struggle.

Shazza came running, she hadn't seen Rhea because she was sitting behind a rock. Rhea had covered up the dig sight so blood wouldn't come out of the hole.

"Zeke!" Shazza said, before looking down into the blood filled hole.

Shazza looked up and saw Riddick. With the site the way it was, it looked like Riddick had done it.

Riddick started running, and ended up getting tripped by Johns a short distance away. Johns kicked Riddick, causing him to roll over. Riddick and Johns started fighting with each other, all the while Riddick never getting up off the ground. Johns took off Riddick's goggles since he couldn't see well in the light with his shined eyes, and started beating Riddick with his night stick.

"Wait! Stop!" Rhea said, while running towards them.

Johns stopped long enough for Shazza to come and backhand Riddick.

"What did you do with Zeke? What did you do to him?" Shazza said.

Fry had come and tried to calm Shazza down.

"Let's just kill him, just kill him before he. Ugh!" Shazza said, kicking Riddick one more time.

"Shazza stop!" Rhea said, trying to hold Shazza back. "He didn't do it!" Rhea said, standing in front of Riddick to stop Shazza from hitting him.

"How do you know? Where were you? You were supposed to be with Zeke!" Shazza said.

Rhea couldn't look at Shazza or answer her, so she turned around to face Riddick instead.

"You okay?" Rhea said, getting down on her knees in front of Riddick so he could open his eyes.

"Yeah." Riddick said. "You know, with the light behind you like that, you kind of look like a saint." Riddick said, smirking at Rhea.

"So I've been told." Rhea said, smiling slightly back.

"All right, enough sweet talk." Johns said, breaking up 'the moment'.


	5. Closer

Johns had taken Riddick somewhere to chain him up again. Rhea decided to stay with Riddick in the room.

"So, where's the body?" Fry said, coming into the room.

Riddick stayed quiet.

"Well do you want to tell me about the sounds?" Fry said.

Riddick still stayed quiet.

"Look, we told Johns we heard something." Fry said.

More silence.

"That's fine if you don't want to talk to me, that's your choice. But just so you know… there's a debate right now as to whether we should just leave you here to die." Fry said.

Rhea started to get angry when she heard this. Rhea and Riddick were both convicts, and she sure as hell knew that they wouldn't have thought to do that to her. Rhea got to her feet, and was about to say something to Fry when Riddick spoke up.

"You hear the whispers?" Riddick said.

Fry turned back around and started to approach him.

"What whispers?" Fry said.

"The ones telling you to go for the sweet spot just to the left of the spine, 4th lumbar down. The abdominal aorta. It's a metallic taste, human blood, copperish. You cut it with a Peppermint Schnapps, that goes away." Riddick said, before he was cut off by Fry.

"Why not try scaring me with the truth now?" Fry said.

"All of you people are so scared of me." Riddick said. Riddick turned his head to look at Rhea for a moment, then back at Fry. "Most days I take that as a compliment, but it ain't me you got to worry about now."

"Show me your eyes, Riddick." Fry said.

"You'd have to come a lot closer for that." Riddick said.

Fry started to get a bit closer, she was still on her guard, too scared to trust Riddick.

"Closer." Riddick said.

All of a sudden Riddick got up and lunged at Fry, which made her jump backwards. Riddick's chains kept him from getting too close. Rhea had jumped as well, she hadn't known what to expect.

"Where the hell can I get eyes like that?" Jack said.

"You got to kill a few people." Riddick said.

"'Kay, I can do it." Jack said.

"And you got to get sent to a slam where they tell you, you'll never see daylight again." Riddick said, all while looking at Fry. "You dig up a doctor. You pay him 20 menthol KOOLs, to do a surgical shine job on your eyeballs."

"So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark?" Jack said, thoroughly interested.

"Exactly." Riddick said, turning to smile at Jack.

"Leave!" Fry said, addressing Jack.

Jack frowned.

"Leave." Fry said.

Jack looked from Fry, to Rhea, and then to Riddick, before starting to go back up the ladder.

"You didn't have to do that." Rhea said, earning a glare from Fry.

"Cute kid." Riddick said, interrupted Rhea and Fry's glare-off, making the both of them look in his direction. "Did I kill a few people? Sure." Riddick said, sitting back down. "Did I kill Zeke? …No, you got the wrong killer."

"He's not in the hole, we looked." Fry said.

"Look deeper." Riddick said.

"Okay then." Fry said. "Are you coming?" Fry said, looking at Rhea.

"No thanks, the suns are drying my skin out something nasty." Rhea said, never really looking away from Riddick.

"Suit yourself, but be careful." Fry said, looking from Rhea to Riddick.

"He wouldn't hurt me." Rhea said. "Convicts code, right?" Rhea said, looking at Riddick with a small smile.

"Hm, right." Riddick said, smirking back at Rhea before looking at Fry to smirk at her.

Fry left, leaving Rhea and Riddick to either stay silent or talk. Rhea sat down across from Riddick.

"So, how's your head feeling? It looked like Shazza backhanded and kicked you pretty good." Rhea said.

"Fine, thanks for asking." Riddick said.

"Any time." Rhea said.

"You don't seem like a convict." Riddick said.

"What?" Rhea said.

"You don't act like a convict. You're too nice to be one, too sweet looking." Riddick said.

"Too young?" Rhea said, cutting Riddick off.

"No. No one's ever too young to be a criminal or killer." Riddick said.

"I guess I'm just one of those rare misfit criminals. I never wanted to be one, but when you care for something or someone enough, you do anything to protect it or them." Rhea said.

"Even if it means murder?" Riddick said.

"Yes, even murder." Rhea said, a serious expression plastered on her face.

"Come." Riddick said, motioning for Rhea to come over by him with his head.

Rhea got up and got closer to Riddick.

"Sit." Riddick said.

Rhea was a little wary about doing so, but she eventually gave in.

"Am I too heavy?" Rhea said.

"Barely." Riddick said, a smirk on his lips.

Riddick moved so that his face was positioned against Rhea's neck. Rhea started getting a nervous, and her heart started racing.

"Calm down." Riddick said, his face still against Rhea's neck. "I like your scent."

Rhea could _feel_ Riddick smiling now.

"Thanks. I like yours too." Rhea said.

Rhea was pressing her face against Riddick's neck now.

Rhea lifted her head to look at Riddick, she placed one hand on his chest and couldn't help but lean forward; Riddick met her half way. The kiss lasted only a minute or so. They broke apart and looked at each other, their eyes were filled with hidden messages.

"You taste delicate." Riddick said, after what seemed like forever.

"I taste... delicate?" Rhea said.

"Yeah." Riddick said, before licking his lips.

Rhea's face started to heat up.

"Do you hear something?" Rhea said, thinking she heard someone yelling for help.

Out of nowhere Riddick started pulling on his restraints, which made Rhea jump up off of his lap.

"What are you doing?" Rhea said surprised, not understanding why Riddick started doing what he did all of a sudden.

Riddick didn't answer her, he just kept pulling on his restraints faster and harder.

* * *

"Finally found something worse than me, huh?" Riddick said.

Johns had come back and told Riddick how something had almost gotten Fry when she went down into the hole.

"So here's the deal. You work without chains, without bit, and without shivs. You do what I say, when I say it." Johns said, trying to bargain with Riddick.

"For what? And end up going back to some ass over cell? Fuck you." Riddick said.

"The truth is, is I'm tired of chasing you." Johns said.

Riddick looked at Johns for a moment.

"You're saying you'd cut me loose?" Riddick said, not sure if he could trust what Johns was saying was true.

"I'm thinking you could have died in a crash." Johns said.

"My recommendation, do me. Don't take the chance that I'll get shiv happy on ya' wannabe ass." Riddick said.

"Okay." Johns said.

"Ghost me mother fucker, that's what I would do to you." Riddick said.

Johns moved so abruptly and shot, that Rhea thought Johns actually shot Riddick. Johns had actually shot the cord that was holding Riddick's restraints instead.

Riddick turned his head back in the Johns' direction, and let his arms fall.

"I want you to remember this moment. The way it could've gone and didn't. Here." Johns said, handing Riddick back his goggles.

Riddick motioned to take his goggles, and in one fluid motion he snatched the gun out of Johns' hand and had the barrel pointed right in Johns' face.

"Take it easy." Johns said, his hands up.

"Fuck you!" Riddick said, never lowering the gun. Riddick seemed a bit unsure of what he should do next.

"Do we have a deal?" Johns said.

"I want you to remember this moment." Riddick said, before leaving with Johns' gun in hand.

Rhea followed after Riddick.

"Honestly, I thought I almost had a heart attack from all the suspense and excitement just now." Rhea said, now walking along side Riddick.

"Well, if you decide to stick with me after we get off this planet, you'll most likely end up witnessing things like that happen more often." Riddick said, his head never turning to face Rhea as they walked, his facial experience serious.

"I guess I'd just end up getting used to it after a while then." Rhea said.


	6. He's Not My Boyfriend!

The crew started to prepare for the journey they would have to take in order to get the power cells back to the skiff. While Imam and one of his acolytes carried one of the cells, Riddick dragged the others.

"So…" Rhea said.

"Yeah?" Riddick said.

"About what happened before you started yanking on your restraints like a mad man…" Rhea said.

"What about it?" Riddick said.

Riddick was looking straight ahead and sounded uninterested.

"Um, never mind." Rhea said, not really understanding why she brought it up in the first place.

Rhea could hear Johns, Shazza, and Jack talking about Riddick, she looked in Riddick's direction to see if he heard them too. Rhea assumed Riddick didn't, due to the fact that he hadn't started making smart remarks in their direction.

Paris had dropped one of his wine bottles and had turned back to pick it up. Unfortunately for him, Riddick got to it first. Paris' facial expression showed that he wasn't sure how to react to the situation.

"Paris P. Ogilvie. Antiquities dealer, entrepreneur." Paris said, introducing himself to Riddick while putting his hand out for him to shake it.

"Richard B. Riddick." Riddick said, grabbing Paris' hand. "Escaped convict, murderer." Riddick said, while smiling casually.

Rhea had to stifle a giggle because of how casual Riddick said it, and how it changed Paris' facial expression.

"That's a particularly good Shiraz. I-I-I-It's a lovely drop." Paris said, watching Riddick start to drink it down. "It's-It's very expensive." Paris' words never stopping Riddick from downing it. "By all means. Please, help yourself." Paris said, defeated.

Paris walked away, leaving Rhea and Riddick to be the last ones in the group again.

"You want some?" Riddick said, offering Rhea some of the contents of the now half empty bottle.

"No, I'm good." Rhea said, starting to walk off.

"You sure? It's decent." Riddick said.

"I'm fine." Rhea said, turning back to smile at Riddick.

"Do you need help dragging the cells?" Rhea said, stopping in front of Riddick.

"No, I'm good." Riddick said.

Rhea took the half empty bottle out of Riddick's hands.

"I thought you said you didn't want any." Riddick said.

Rhea took a swig.

"I changed my mind." Rhea said, starting to walk ahead of Riddick.

"Do you change your mind about things a lot?" Riddick said.

"Well, if you decide to stick with me after we get off this desert planet, then you might find out." Rhea said, saying something similar to what Riddick had told her earlier.

* * *

"Normally I can appreciate antiques, but this, this is something else." Paris said, talking about the skiff.

"It'll work." Johns said.

"There's nothing we can't repair so long as the electrical adapts." Fry said.

"Well, it's not a star jumper." Shazza said, checking the skiff out.

"It doesn't need to be." Riddick said, standing with his hands behind his back, facial expression neutral. "Take a two-seater like this back up to the sol track shipping lanes. Stick out a thumb, bound to get picked up. Ain't that right captain?" Riddick said, looking at Fry.

Johns looked at Fry expectantly.

"Can I have a little help here?" Fry said.

Riddick went up and got stopped by Johns.

"Do me a favor. Check these containers out and um, see what we can patch these wings up with. Huh?" Johns said.

Riddick didn't say anything.

* * *

Rhea went with Imam, his acolytes, and Paris to the machine he said could give them water. They were finally relieved when it started to work.

"Finally! Now we can stop getting drunk and more dehydrated off of Paris' booze." Rhea said.

"No one said you had to drink it. By the way, your boyfriend still owes me for the one he drank. Are you going to cover his expenses for him?" Paris said.

"He's not my boyfriend." Rhea said, looking away a bit embarrassed.

"Well, you spend enough time with him for us to think so." Paris said.

"All right, all right. My turn." Paris said, after Imam and his acolytes had each taken a sip of water.

One of them ran to tell the others, so Rhea decided to follow since it looked like no one would be able to get any water until Paris was done filling his jugs up.

Rhea got to the skiff in time to see Fry get it running.

"Where've you been?" Shazza said.

"With Imam and the others. We got the water running." Rhea said.

"Well, that's good news." Fry said.

"Yeah, great." Johns said uninterested.

Johns watched Fry move to the front of the skiff.

"So, we've got enough power for sys check, but we still need more cells." Fry said.

"How many we talkin' about?" Johns said.

"Um, let's see. We've got a 90 gig draw, the other ship takes 20 gig cells. That would be five." Fry said, thinking out loud. "Five total, to launch!" Fry said, as she headed to the controls at the front of the skiff.

"35 kilos each huh?" Johns said.

"Wow, that's pretty heavy. Well, you know that old sand cat out there? I might be able to get it going." Shazza said.

"Yeah, do it if you can, but if you need a hand… where'd Riddick go?" Johns said, looking around.

"Hey!" Johns said, addressing Rhea.

"Huh?" Rhea said, looking up from cleaning her nails.

"Where'd your criminal boyfriend go?" Johns said.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Rhea said, looking ready to fight Johns. "And I don't know." Rhea said, starting to walking off.

"Touchy." Shazza said.


	7. Cute Kid

"You wanna come help me look for your - " Johns said, before Rhea gave him a death glare. "For Riddick?" Johns said, looking away from Rhea.

"No." Rhea said, but got up to go look with Johns anyways.

They found Riddick after a couple minutes.

Johns whistled to get Riddick's attention.

"Permission to party." Johns said, waving Riddick over. "Come on, boy." Johns said, patting his leg.

"He's not a dog." Rhea said, rolling her eyes at Johns' behavior.

"Could've fooled me." Johns said.

Rhea punched Johns hard in the arm before he started to walk away.

"Hey, take it easy. It was just a joke." Johns said.

"Whatever." Rhea said, no longer looking at Johns.

Riddick pulled a sheet off the building which was labeled 'Coring Room'. It turned out that Jack was hiding under it; being found out made Jack gasp.

Rhea wasn't really sure what to think when she saw Jack's new look. Jack looked like Riddick's own personal mini me.

"Missin' the party, come on." Riddick said, in a southern accent mimicking Johns'.

"Aw, man." Jack said.

"Cute kid." Rhea said, once Riddick was near her.

"Yeah, you are." Riddick said, wrapping his arm around Rhea's waist.

"I'm not gonna lie, that made me feel uncomfortable just then." Rhea said, frowning.

"What? My arm being around your waist? Want me to put it over your shoulder instead?" Riddick said.

Riddick took his arm off of Rhea's waist and motioned to drape it over her shoulders.

Rhea pulled away.

"No, the me being a 'cute kid' thing." Rhea said.

Rhea started walking slower so that their conversation would be done by the time they reached the others.

"Well, you are." Riddick said.

"Cute, or a kid?" Rhea said.

"I don't know. Both?" Riddick said.

Rhea shook her head still frowning, and started walking ahead of Riddick.

"What'd I say?" Riddick said, hanging back.

"Don't worry about it, it's not important." Rhea said, staring ahead looking put off and frustrated.

* * *

"All praises be, Allah, for his many blessings to us." Imam said, talking about the water.

Jack walked in and surprised almost everyone with his new look.

"What?" Jack said, staring back at anyone who stared at him.

"It's the winner of the look alike contest." Paris said, jokingly.

"Who were these people anyways? Miners?" Paris said, over by Shazza.

"Looks like geologists. You know, advanced team? Lives around from rock to rock." Shazza said.

"Nice of them to leave so much stuff here. Why'd they leave their ship?" Fry said.

Fry's question made Rhea, Johns, and Shazza stop what they were doing to look at her.

Rhea turned to look at Imam for a moment, who seemed to be looking for something or someone.

"It's not a ship it's a skiff, and it's disposable really." Johns said.

"It's more like an emergency life raft, right?" Paris said.

"Yeah, they probably had a big drop ship take them off planet." Shazza said.

"These people didn't leave. Come on. Whoever got Zeke got them. They're all dead." Riddick said, putting his goggles back on. "You don't really think they left with their clothes on the hooks, photos on the shelves?"

"Maybe they had weight limits. You don't know." Shazza said, with an attitude that said, 'You're most likely wrong, so shut the hell up'

"I know you don't prep your emergency ship, unless there's a fuckin' emergency." Riddick said.

"He's fuckin' right." Jack said, making Rhea smile.

"Watch your mouth." Johns said.

"Yeah, watch your fucking language." Rhea said, earning a smile from Jack.

"You, watch yours too." Johns said.

"You're not my dad." Rhea said.

"No, but I am the one who has to take you in now, since the officer who brought you aboard is dead." Johns said.

"We'll see." Rhea said, turning away from Johns.

"Hey, he's just saying what we're all thinking." Fry said, referring to what Riddick said. Fry turned to face Riddick. "So what happened? Where are they?" Fry said.

Riddick was about to answer before Imam came in.

"Has anyone seen the little one?" Imam said. "Ali!" Imam called.

"Has anyone checked the Coring Room?" Riddick said.

* * *

Johns blasted a few holes into the Coring Room doors, since they were chained shut from the inside. Johns proceeded with caution, ready to defend himself. Imam and Fry held the doors open.

"Ali." Imam called, starting to head in.

Johns stopped Imam from going too far in.

"Slowly, slowly." Johns said.

"Jack wait, wait!" Fry said.

"Ali!" Imam called again.

Everyone looked around as much as possible from the entrance.

"Ali!" Imam called a third time. "Ali." Imam whispered, once he heard a hissing sound.

Imam had gone much further in to look by now.

Rhea could hear and feel movement coming from the side where an object seemed to be in the way; she later found that it had been some double doors.

"Hang back real quick." Rhea said, talking to Jack and Imam's other acolyte.

"Why?" Jack said.

"There's something moving - " Rhea said, before she got cut off by the a few bioraptors flying around all of a sudden.

Everyone, with the exception of Imam, got out and shut the doors to the Coring Room until the bioraptors had gone past the door. Johns went back in first, being the only one with a gun. The bioraptors circled one more time before going down into a hole in the floor. Everyone checked to make sure there weren't any more bioraptors left before they set foot back inside.

"Imam?" Johns said.

"Imam?" Fry said.

* * *

Imam told everyone that the bioraptors had killed Ali They had eaten his face off.

Imam had a proper burial for Ali. It made Rhea sad because she knew that no one ever dreams of outliving their child or protégé, especially if the cause of death was murder or being eaten alive.

* * *

Rhea, Shazza, Johns, Fry, and Riddick went back inside the Coring Room. Johns had lit a flare, and dropped it down the hole the bioraptors left through. The hole was deep, and filled with the bones of those who had been attacked by the bioraptors. Fry and Shazza held onto chains by the edge so they wouldn't fall in if they happened to miss their footing.

"Other buildings weren't secure." Riddick said.

Riddick and Rhea were on a ledge just above the hole, below the others.

"So they ran here. Heaviest doors, thought they'd be safe inside, but they forgot to lock the cellar." Riddick said.

This made Shazza walk away from the edge.

Shazza stopped by Riddick on her way out, and took her air tank off. Shazza threw it to Riddick, he caught it with ease. Shazza had her arms crossed and was leaning against the wall

"What? It's broken?" Riddick said, throwing it down.

"No, there's still a few hits. Actually you asshole, I'm trying to say that I am sorry." Shazza said.

Johns was behind Shazza now, on the other side of the wall she was leaning on.

"Okay, let's board this place up, and get the hell out of here." Johns said, motioning for the others to come before he walked away.

Shazza looked at Riddick one more time before kicking the device toward him.

"Well… that was kind of a nice change." Rhea said.

Riddick said nothing while putting on the device.

"What's up with you?" Rhea said.

Rhea saw that Riddick looked like he had something he wanted to say.

"Are you angry with me?" Riddick said, not looking at Rhea.

"No. Why?" Rhea said.

"Because of earlier." Riddick said, before walking out the door without even bothering to look at Rhea.


	8. An Eclipse

Fry had found a room with the model of the system they were in.

"An eclipse." Fry said, after the model moved to show that the light from the suns would be blocked out.

Imam looked troubled.

"You're not afraid of the dark are you?" Riddick said, smirking.

Fry just stared at Riddick.

Fry got up and Johns followed after her.

"So if we don't get off this planet by the time the eclipse hits, we're all dead?" Rhea said. "Well that's just fucking great."

Looking a bit depressed, Rhea sat down for a moment.

"What? Are you afraid of the dark too?" Riddick said.

"Well unlike _some_ people." Rhea said, glaring at Riddick. "I can't see in the dark, but I can hear pretty well and sense the surfaces around me. However, if I'm not familiar with my surroundings, I can't tell what should or shouldn't be there." Rhea said, never taking her eyes off of Riddick.

"Well." Riddick said, leaning forward a bit as he looked at Rhea. "Sounds like a personal problem." Riddick said, smirking.

Rhea got up to leave and Riddick grabbed her arm.

"Hey, it was just a joke." Riddick said.

"Let me go!" Rhea said, giving Riddick a death glare.

Riddick let Rhea's arm go and she kept walking without looking back.

* * *

_Fry's Point of View_

"So who are you really? You're not a cop are you?" Fry said.

"I never said I was, Carolyn." Johns said.

"No, you didn't." Fry said, walking over to where Johns was. "And you never said you were high up either." Fry said, throwing down the shotgun shells she picked up. They had morphine shots in them.

"You have a little caffeine in the morning, and I have a little morphine. So what?" Johns said.

"You got two mornings everyday. Wow, you're born lucky." Fry said unamused.

"It's not a problem unless you're going to blame me." Johns said.

"No! It becomes a problem, when you let Owens die like that!" Fry said. "You have enough drugs here to knock out a fucking mule team."

"Owens was already dead, his brain just hadn't caught on to the fact." Johns said.

Fry opened her mouth, but no noise came out. Fry was too shocked to say anything at the moment.

"Is there anything else, I should know about you Johns?" Fry said.

Johns stayed silent, except for when he went to spit.

"You know I-I am letting you roll the dice on our lives. It is not unreasonable - " Fry said, before Johns grabbed her hand and placed it on his lower back.

"You feel that? That's from my first run in with Riddick. He went for the sweet spot and missed. He had to leave a piece of the shiv in there, Carolyn, and I can feel it pressing against the cord. So maybe the care and feeding my nerve endings is my business." Johns said.

"… It's just that you could have done something, and you didn't." Fry said.

"Yeah, well look to thine own eyes first. Right, Carolyn?" Johns said.

One of Imam's acolytes had started yelling something once he got to where Fry was. The only word he said that was in English was, "Captain".

"I'm not your fucking captain." Fry said, heading out the door.

* * *

_Normal Point of View_

Rhea was by the door when Fry came out.

"Hey." Rhea said, not really looking at Fry. Rhea had heard the conversation that Fry and Johns just had.

"Hey." Fry said, not looking at Rhea either, and continued to walk away.

Rhea looked up to see Fry's facial expression change, it made her look in the direction Fry was looking. The eclipse was already starting.

'Shit! If I had been paying attention to both their conversation _and_ the sky, I could have warned them earlier.' Rhea thought.

Everyone just stood and stared at the planets and suns moving.

"What are my eyes seeing?" Paris said, as the nearest planet with rings on it started to rise up from the horizon.

"If we need anything from the crash ship, I suggest we kick on. That sand cat's solar." Shazza said.

Shazza started up the sand cat, and everyone started hopping in.

"Where's Riddick?" Jack said.

"He'll be here." Rhea said, she was cleaning her nails not really looking at Jack.

"Leave him! He wouldn't wait for us." Paris said.

As soon as Paris finished his sentence, Riddick jumped in from above and landed behind him.

"Thought we lost you." Paris said, without looking behind him.

Rhea smiled at how quickly Paris changed his tune, laughing to herself a little.

"Johns!" Shazza said.

Riddick helped Johns up as they were passing by in the sand cat. Johns and Riddick looked at each other for a moment before Riddick pulled him onto the sand cat completely.

* * *

Rhea was sitting in the back with Jack and Riddick on either side of her, facing forward. Jack was looking at Riddick and pulled his make shift goggles down. Riddick had pointed in front of him without looking.

"Whoa!" Jack said, ducking.

They had started driving under the rib cage of a giant skeleton. Rhea just enjoyed the ride because she knew she was safe where she was sitting.

The planet seemed to be rising faster as they neared the crash sight. As soon as they were close enough, they all jumped out. While most of them went into the ship, Paris had started going in a different direction.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Rhea and Shazza said, in unison.

"I'm just going to get a couple things. It'll only be a few minutes. You wouldn't leave without me would you?" Paris said, continuing in his previous direction.

The eclipse was now almost complete, Rhea couldn't help but stare at it happening. Shazza backed the sand cat up closer to the ship, so that the others could get the power cells on faster. Jack started cleaning the bubble of the sand cat off so it could get as much sun as it still could. The others had gotten the power cells onto the sand cat, unfortunately for them, the suns started to be blocked out enough for the sand cat to stop running.

Once it started to get dark the bioraptors become active. All of a sudden, several of them started flying out of natural pillar-like structures in the ground.

"How many are there?" Johns said.

"Beautiful." Riddick said, in a hushed voice.

'Psychopath.' Rhea thought.

"People, just a suggestion. Perhaps you should flee!" Paris said.

"Let's go!" Fry said, waking the others from their half stupors.

"Come one, run!" Imam said.

"Shit!" Shazza yelled frustrated, before jumping off the sand cat to run.

"Come on!" Rhea said, pulling on Riddick's arm.

They all started running to where Paris was for cover.

"Come on!" Paris said.

Every few seconds the people in front would look back to see how fast the bioraptors were approaching.

Rhea, Shazza, and Riddick were still running.

"You don't have to keep pace with me! If you can run faster than me than do it!" Rhea said, addressing Riddick.

"Not happening!" Riddick said.

"Get down!" Fry said, as the bioraptors got closer to the remaining three.

Rhea, Riddick, and Shazza all jumped and rolled down to a lower level of land.

"You okay?" Riddick said.

"Fine. You?" Rhea said.

"You know me." Riddick said, a smirk in his voice.

Rhea heard Shazza's uneasy breathing, making her look up at Shazza's form. The bioraptors had passed by overhead by now.

"Shazza? I know it's tempting, but don't." Rhea said.

Shazza got up.

"Damn it." Rhea said.

"No stay there! Stay down, Shazza, just stay down!" Jack said.

Paris stopped Jack from leaving the safety of the hull they were in.

Rhea and Riddick watched Shazza run until the bioraptors came back. Riddick turned and lied flat on his back, while Rhea lied flat on her stomach. Rhea looked up in time to see the bioraptors start to attack Shazza, and Jack trying to break away from Paris to help. Jack kept yelling to Shazza. The bioraptors kept attacking Shazza until they tore her in half, and lifted her into the sky. It wouldn't have been that bad if she hadn't still been screaming while she was in the air, torn in half, still alive.

Riddick got up first to check if the coast was clear, when he was sure he gave Rhea his hand to help her up, and they started going towards the hull again.

"Please, I think we should go inside. We have to be inside to close the door. Come on, let's go!" Paris said, running inside the safety of the hull. "Go, go, go!" Paris said to the others.

Rhea, Fry, and Riddick were the only ones left outside. Fry turned back to where the noise of the bioraptors was coming from, or where she thought it was. The pillars started to crumble, and hundreds of thousands more started to come out. Riddick used his eyes to see for himself, while the sound of their wings flapping and the noise they made helped Rhea guesstimate how many of them there were.

"What is it Riddick? What is it now?" Fry said.

"Like I said. It ain't me you gotta worry about." Riddick said.

* * *

Everyone was inside now, doors shut. Nobody getting out, nothing getting in, for now. They had some flashlights, so seeing wasn't that much of a problem.

"She should have stayed down. If she only would have stayed down, she'd be okay. She wouldn't have died." Jack said.

"You remember the boneyard? These just might be the fuckers that killed every living thing on this planet." Johns said.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Jack said.

"Are these the only light we have? I-I-Is this everything?" Paris said, thoroughly shaken.

"No, there's a cutting torch on the floor here somewhere. I just have to find it." Fry said, looking around.

"Quiet please, everyone." Imam said, abruptly.

Everyone got quiet, and they could hear the bioraptors making noise on the outside.

"Why do they do that? Make that sound?" Jack said, quietly.

"Perhaps, it's the way they see." Imam said, saying what Rhea was thinking. "With sound reflecting back."

There was a sudden sharp noise that made the others jump.


	9. Just Be Careful

One of the bioraptors was running on the other side of the wall.

"There could be a breach in the hull, I don't know." Fry said.

"Come on Johns, you've got the big gauge." Riddick said.

"I'd rather piss glass. Why don't you go fuckin' check?" Johns said.

"I'll go." Rhea said, just wanting to get it over with.

"No, you won't." Riddick said, holding Rhea back.

"Look, I think I can hold my own with at least one of them, so just give me your shiv so I can go check." Rhea said, holding her hand out expectantly.

"I'm not staying here for one more second." Paris said, trying to leave the group.

"Where you goin'? Hey! Hey!" Johns said, pulling Paris back.

"Paris! Paris!" Fry said, trying to calm him down.

"Sit him down." Johns said.

"You don't know what's out there." Fry said.

"I know what's in here." Paris said.

Imam opened up a hole in the wall that had been slightly sealed.

"Hurry." Imam said, ushering everyone into the room.

Riddick started walking off in a random direction once everyone was in the room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Rhea said, catching Riddick's arm.

"Relax, I'm just gonna look around to see if anything got in. Why, are you concerned about me?" Riddick said, smirking.

"No, you're a grown man and can take care of yourself, just like how I'm old enough to take care of myself." Rhea said.

"So now you're saying is, you feel like you don't need me anymore?" Riddick said, still smirking.

Rhea stayed silent.

"Thought so." Riddick said, as if he had won.

Riddick continued in the direction of his original path.

"Just be careful." Rhea said.

* * *

The hole that they came in through was now blocked. The others started moving further into the room.

"Extremely bad timing" Riddick said, from somewhere in the room.

Rhea heard someone else's breathing near Riddick, and looked around to see who else was missing. After counting people off Rhea found that it was Hassan, one of Imam's two remaining acolytes.

"Just don't run." Riddick said.

Hassan's breathing quickened, and it reminded Rhea of Shazza.

'He's a goner.' Rhea thought, frowning.

"Riddick?" Fry said. "Where'd he go?"

Rhea just stood there looking around.

"Hey! Did you hear me? Where's Riddick?" Fry said.

"Oh, I didn't know you were asking a specific person. He's around here somewhere, he went deeper into the center of the room." Rhea said. "Wanna go find him Johns?" Rhea said, jokingly.

"Hell no. He left the group on his own, and he can come back on his own." Johns said.

"Alright then." Rhea said.

"Don't stop burning." Riddick said.

'So there _are_ a few in here.' Rhea thought.

Fry handed the cutting torch off to Johns, who started making another hole in the wall next to them.

"Hassan! Where is, Hassan?" Imam said panicked.

"Gone." Rhea said sadly.

"What?" Imam said.

"I'm afraid… he's not going to make it." Rhea said, looking at Imam with sympathy.

"Why?" Imam said.

The bioraptors started making a lot of commotion.

"Because he couldn't help but run." Rhea said, looking off in the direction the bioraptors were attacking Hassan in.

Rhea heard Riddick coming, and someone shined the light in his eyes once he got close enough.

"Ah!" Riddick said, covering his eyes while diving to the side.

This made Rhea want to laugh for a moment, but the seriousness of the situation reminded her that this wasn't the time or place for that.

One of the bioraptors had been behind him, and just like Riddick, when they shined the light on the bioraptor it moved out of the way. Johns started shooting at it when it flew off, he stopped shooting once the bioraptor was out of sight.

Rhea went over to Riddick to see if he was okay.

"Honestly, that almost made me laugh just then." Rhea said, trying not to smile at Riddick, she failed miserably.

"Well, I'm glad I could bring a smile to your face. Let's hope the next time I do it, it's under different circumstances." Riddick said.

"Agreed." Rhea said.

The bioraptor had fallen from the ceiling, which made the group, with the exception of Riddick, scream and jump.

"Fucking Jesus!" Rhea said.

Rhea grabbed her chest and was shaking her head.

"Is it alive?" Fry said, approaching slowly with everyone else behind her or to the side of her.

Johns looked around to make sure that there weren't anymore overhead.

"It's like the light is scolding it." Paris said.

"It hurts them. Light actually hurts them." Fry said.

The bioraptor twitched, making the group gasp and jump back for a moment.

Riddick got up when he heard more bioraptors were around.

"Is that, Hassan?" Imam said.

"We'll burn him a candle later. Come on, let's get out of here." Johns said, heading into the other room.

Rhea saw Riddick had a cut on the left side of his chest.

"Are you okay?" Rhea said, touching it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Riddick said.

Rhea left her hand on Riddick's chest longer than she had to, and just stared up at him. Riddick placed his own hand over Rhea's while looking down at her.

The noise that the bioraptors made brought Rhea back to reality.

"Um, right." Rhea said.

Rhea started heading towards the hole with Riddick following behind her.


	10. We Stick To The Plan!

"So we got one cutting torch, we got two hand lights. There's got to be something we can rip out of the crash ship." Fry said.

"Spirits. Anything over 45 proof burns rather well." Paris said.

"How many bottles we got?" Fry said.

"I don't know, maybe ten?" Paris said.

"Okay. Johns, you got a few flares. So, maybe we've got enough light." Fry said.

"Enough for fuckin' what?" Johns said.

"We stick to the plan! We get the four cells back to the skiff. We're off this rock." Fry said.

"Look, I hate to ruin a beautiful theory with an ugly fact. That sand cat is solar. It won't run at night." Paris said, now sitting over by Fry.

"So we carry the cells. We drag them, whatever it takes." Fry said.

"You mean tonight, with all those things still out there?" Jack said, rocking a bit.

Rhea put her hand on Jack's shoulder for comfort. Rhea's nose caught the scent of blood, but she just waved it off as being from Riddick's chest wound.

"All right, now how long can this last? A few hours? A day, tops?" Johns said.

"I had the impression from the model. The two planets were moving as one, and there will be a lasting darkness." Imam said.

'Way to stay positive. Then again, it if was me in his position… having lost people close to me already…' Rhea thought.

"These suns gotta come up sometime, and if these creatures are phobic about light, then we just sit tight and we let the sun come up." Johns said.

"I'm sure somebody else said that. Locked inside that Coring Room." Fry said.

Imam reacted to Fry's words as he thought about how Ali was killed.

"We need to think about everybody now, especially the kids. How scared are they going to be in the dark?" Johns said.

"Hell, I'm not afraid of the dark." Rhea said.

"You don't have to pretend to be brave." Johns said.

"I'm not the one who's pretending." Rhea said, looking at Johns with a serious expression.

"Don't use them like that." Fry said, making Rhea look at her.

"Like what?" Johns said.

"As a smoke screen. You deal with your own fear." Fry said.

"Why don't you shut your fuckin' mouth for 2 seconds, and let me come up with a plan that doesn't involve mass suicide?" Johns said.

Johns heard the bioraptors on the outside of the hull.

"I'm waiting." Fry said, her gaze never leaving Johns.

Johns stayed silent.

"How much do you weigh Johns?" Fry said.

"What's it matter, Carolyn?" Johns said.

"How much?" Fry said.

"Around 79 kilos, to be exact." Johns said.

"'Cause you're 79 kilos of gutless white meat, and that's why you can't think of a better plan." Fry said.

"Is that fuckin' right?" Johns said.

Johns got up abruptly, ready to harm Fry, but Riddick stopped him.

"Where you goin'?" Johns said, pointing a gun under Riddick's chin.

"This solves nothing." Imam said.

Riddick took his goggles off, and looked Johns in the eye. Riddick started tapping his shiv near Johns' groin as a warning.

"Okay." Johns said, lowering his gun and swallowing hard.

Johns sat back down and smirked at Riddick.

"They're afraid of our light. That means we don't have to be so afraid of them." Fry said, trying to comfort Jack

"And you are sure you can get us there? Even in the dark?" Imam said.

"No, I can't, but he can." Fry said, looking at Riddick.

Hearing this made Riddick turn to look at Fry.

* * *

The left the hull with Fry leading the way with the cutting torch.

"Stay close. Wait, wait." Fry said.

Once they were near the sand cat, Fry turned back to the group.

"Riddick." Fry said.

Riddick went to see if it was safe, he pulled his goggles up so he could see.

"Looks clear." Riddick said, pulling his goggles back down.

Johns approached the sand cat with his gun at the ready, and when he was close enough one of the bioraptors flew out making everyone duck.

"You said clear." Johns said.

"I said it looks clear." Riddick said.

Johns looked up for a moment.

"Well what's it look like now?" Johns said.

Riddick looked up also.

"Looks clear." Riddick said, after a couple seconds.

"You're such a jerk." Rhea said, getting up from the ground somewhat amused.

Riddick turned to look at her.

"Only in your eyes. Everyone else sees me as much, much worse." Riddick said, getting up.

"Jack doesn't see you as much worse." Rhea said.

"That's just, Jack." Riddick said.

"Neither does, Imam." Rhea said.

"Holy Man?" Riddick said.

"Mhm." Rhea said, smiling.

* * *

Everyone went into the ship to get as many glowing tubes as they could, along with the remaining power cells, and Paris' Spirits.

"We're running about ten paces ahead. I want light on my back, but not in my eyes. And check your cuts, these bad boys know our blood now." Riddick said.

"Are we actually going to do this?" Paris said.

"We stay together, we keep the light burning. That's all we got to do to live through this thing." Fry said.

All the while the bioraptors just made their noise, hoping to find something, or someone, to eat.

Fry went back inside to go get Johns. Riddick and Rhea were standing by the door of the ship.

"Are you ready Johns?" Fry said.

"Yeah." Johns said, sounding sedated.

"Look, we're just wasting light here." Fry said.

"You give him the cells and a ship, and he'll leave you all out there to die. He'll leave all of you, probably even his criminal girlfriend as well if she ends up slowing him down any." Johns said.

Riddick start to tighten his grip on the strap holding the lights to his back, and clenched his jaw. Seeing this let Rhea know that he could hear Fry and Johns talking, then again they weren't that far away from them in the first place.

"Easy." Rhea said, placing her hand on Riddick's.

Rhea's actions didn't seem to do anything, so she pulled her hand back, a little sad she couldn't do anything this time.


	11. Stay Close

"I don't get it Johns. What is so God damn valuable in your life that you're worried about losing?" Fry said.

Johns let out a low, short chuckle.

"Is there anything at all? Beside your next spike?" Fry said disgusted.

"Hey. Crouch down for me." Rhea said.

"Why?" Riddick said, not willing to cooperate.

"Fine then. I'll come to you." Rhea said.

Rhea found something to stand on to help get her near Riddick's height, but she still had to stand on her tip toes to get near his face. Rhea put both of her hands on either side of Riddick's shoulders, and kissed him. The kiss was short, but it was enough for her to get my point across. Riddick looked at her the same way he looked at Johns when he had told Riddick he would let him loose, he wasn't sure about her sincerity. Riddick looked at Rhea for a few more seconds before he bent down to kiss her back.

They were done before Fry got to the door, so she hadn't seen them.

Riddick was in front of the group and Rhea was next to Jack. Rhea made it her duty to protect Jack like a younger sibling while they were there.

* * *

The group started moving, making sure not to get too ahead or lag too behind so that the lights would stay on and connected around them. While the group was moving the cutting torch went out, which made Paris let out a short gasp.

"Stay close." Imam said.

A flare fell out of the container when Paris went to grab one of his Spirits to light.

"Wait." Jack said, going to pick it up.

"Jack, wait!" Rhea said.

"Jack!" Fry said.

One of the bioraptors had gotten closer to the group and almost got Jack. Fortunately, Rhea and Imam got to Jack in time to pull him away from the bioraptor's grasp.

Johns shot at it as it flew overhead.

"Jack!" Fry said, running over to them.

"I could have gotten it if you had just told me." Rhea said, giving Jack a stern look. "That thing almost swooped you up, and you would have been no more." Rhea said, sounding a bit motherly for a moment.

As Fry continued to run towards them, she ended up with Johns' gun was in her face. Johns didn't pull the trigger once he saw it was Fry. Fry moved out of Johns' line of fire as quickly as possible.

Paris started freaking out, and started scrambling in a different direction completely.

"Paris! Wait, stop!" Rhea said, when she heard Paris moving away from the group faster than he should have, and with one of the tubes still around him.

Fry looked over in Paris' direction.

"Paris, get back here!" Fry said.

Rhea turned her head just in time to see Riddick getting into a crouching position, as if he was expecting a fight. This made Rhea want to get ready as well.

'There's got to be a sharp object around here somewhere.' Rhea thought, looking around.

There was. It was a jagged rock that looked like if you applied enough pressure, it could do some damage to whatever you were using it on. Rhea picked it up and got ready for the worst.

Paris unintentionally pulled on the device keeping the tubes lit.

'Idiot.' Rhea thought, closing her eyes for just a moment so they would adjust to the new found darkness.

"Are you alright?" Imam said, helping Jack to his feet.

The lights had gone out now.

Rhea heard Paris stop in his tracks, then she smelled fresh blood coming from his direction.

Paris gasped at the sight of his own blood, along with feeling himself get slashed.

"I was supposed to die in France. I never even saw France." Paris said.

Paris spit alcohol into his lighter to make the flame bigger. The flame appeared in the middle of several bioraptors. They hissed at how bright the flame was, but started to devour Paris once the flame went out.

Rhea used one of Johns' flares to light the Spirits that were left.

"Well, it's good to see you're okay." Johns said, watching as Riddick came back toward the group.

Fry walked over to Riddick who was watching the bioraptors eat Paris.

"Do I even want to know?" Fry said.

"You'd think they had enough time to learn to chew with their mouth's closed." Rhea said, trying to make Paris' death seem a little less horrible.

Riddick's demeanor stayed serious. Riddick looked around, and followed the creatures with his eyes. Riddick's gaze stopped on Jack, which made Rhea a bit curious. Rhea looked in Jack's direction as well, the smell of fresh blood caught her nose again.

'Poor Paris.' Rhea thought.

"The night air is kicking up a breeze, we should move if we don't want them coming over here." Rhea said.

* * *

"Are we getting close?" Jack said.

"Can we pick up the pace?" Fry said, addressing Johns.

Imam looked down at the ground to see that the group had crossed over their own tracks.

"You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" Johns said.

"We crossed our own tracks." Fry said, talking to Jack.

"Why have we circled? Are we lost?" Imam said.

"Listen." Riddick said.

"Do you even know where we are?" Imam said.

"Listen." Riddick said, more firmly.

Everyone listened to the bioraptors getting closer, they sounded like they were surrounding the group.

"Canyon ahead. I circled once to buy some time to think." Riddick said.

"I think we should go now." Imam said.

"Oh, I don't know about that. That's death row up there, especially with the girl bleeding." Riddick said.

The group looked to Fry and Rhea.

"What?" Imam said.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Neither of them is cut." Johns said.

'No, she's not.' Rhea thought, surveying Fry. 'I'm not bleeding either.'

Rhea could still smell the blood, but it was coming from the person behind her and Fry. Rhea looked back to see Jack.

"What?" Rhea said.

Rhea saw that Jack wasn't cut, but the blood seemed to be coming from below his waist. … Below his waist? Rhea's eyes widened.

"Not them, her." Riddick said, turning to look at Jack.

"No fucking way. How did I let that fall through? I brushed it off as other things." Rhea said, eyes fixed on Jack.

The others were just as surprised as Rhea was by this.

Jack looked ready to cry.

"You gotta be kidding me." Johns said.

"I-I just thought it would be better if people took me for a guy. I thought they might leave me alone." Jack said.

"Jesus, Jack! Why didn't you tell us?" Fry said.

"They're always messing with me." Jack said, _she_ crouched down and started to cry.

Rhea felt sympathy for Jack, she knew what it was like for people to always mess with you just because you were the youngest and smallest. Well, in this case Jack was the youngest, but not the smallest.

Fry got near Jack to comfort her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, " Fry said, apologizing to Jack for getting upset with her.

"Could've left me at the ship Fry. That's how come I didn't say something sooner." Jack said.

"They've been nosing for her ever since we left. In case you haven't noticed, they go off blood." Riddick said.

"Look, this is not gonna work. We're gonna have to go back." Fry said.

Johns turned back to look at Fry.

"What'd you say? You're the one who got us out here in the first place, and turned us into sled dogs." Johns said.

"I was wrong, I admit it. Okay. Can we just get back to the ship?" Fry said.

"I don't know Carolyn. Nice breeze, wide open space, I'm starting to enjoy my fuckin' self out here!" Johns said sarcastically.

"What, are you high again? Just listen to yourself Johns." Fry said.

"No, no. You're right, Carolyn. What's to be afraid of? My life's just a steaming pile of mean less shit anyhow! So I say mush on! It's only a couple hundred meters, and after that it's skiff city. So why don't you butch up, stuff a cork in this fuckin' kid, and let's go!" Johns said.

"She is the captain! You should listen to her." Imam said, coming to Fry's defense.

"Listen to her?" Johns said, glaring at Imam before speaking again. "When she was so willing to sacrifice us all."

"What's he talking about?" Jack said.

Rhea didn't want to be the one to answer Jack, besides Riddick and her, no one else had known about what Fry told Johns.

"This, does not help us, Johns." Fry said.

"During the crash, she tried to blow the whole passenger cabin. Tried to kill us in our sleep." Johns said.

"Shut your mouth!" Fry said.

"We are fuckin' disposable. We're just ghosts to you, aren't we?" Johns said.

"Shut your fucking blowhole!" Fry said, and ran at Johns.

Johns knocked Fry to the ground, and Imam stepped in.

"Ay! Ay! You've made your point. We've all been scared." Imam said.

"Oh Carolyn, how much do you weigh now?" Johns said, a cynical smile plastered on his face. "Verdicts in. Light moves forward." Johns said, lighting another flare.

"Come on." Rhea said, giving Fry her hand to help her up.

"Thanks." Fry said, not looking at Rhea.

"I knew about you trying to drop the cabin." Rhea said.

Fry stared at Rhea with her mouth slightly ajar.

"I know about Owens too. Johns is no better than you are." Rhea said.

"How did you - ?" Fry said, but was cut off by Rhea answering first.

"I've got amazing hearing." Rhea said, feeling that it would be better than telling her that she was right behind them with Riddick the whole time, before walking ahead of Fry.


	12. Seven Of Us Left

"Ain't all of us gonna make it." Johns said, talking to Riddick.

Rhea made sure to hang back enough so she could hear Johns and Riddick talking without it seeming obvious.

"Just realize that?" Riddick said, putting his arm up to shield his eyes from Johns' flare.

"Seven of us left. We could make it through the canyon and lose just one, that would be quite a feat huh?" Johns said.

"Not if I'm the one." Riddick said.

"Well, what if you're one of six?" Johns said.

One of the bioraptors flew by and made noise, making Johns stopped to look.

"I'm listening." Riddick said.

Rhea saw Riddick look back at her inconspicuously with a gesture that said, 'Are you getting this?'. Rhea nodded slightly to let Riddick know that she was.

Johns and Riddick kept walking a little ways ahead of the group.

"What are they doin' up their?" Jack said.

"They're probably talking about the canyon, I suppose. How to get us through." Imam said.

Fry went over to Rhea to get what was going on.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Fry said.

"Yes. Why?" Rhea said.

"What are they saying?" Fry said.

Rhea didn't want anyone to freak out and do something stupid, so she lied to Fry.

"They're talking about the canyon, just like, Imam said." Rhea said, looking straight ahead.

"… Okay." Fry said.

* * *

"Battle field doctors got to decide who lives and dies, it's called triage." Johns said.

"Kept calling it murder when I did it." Riddick said.

Rhea shook her head and chuckled to herself when she heard this.

"Either way I figure it's something you can grab on to." Johns said.

"A sacrifice. We hack up a body when we get to the start of the canyon, like a bucket of bait." Riddick said.

"Travel with it. We got extra cable on the slope, we drag the body 40, 50 feet behind us." Johns said.

"Nice embellishment." Riddick said.

"Oh I don't want to feed em', I just want to keep them off our scent." Johns said.

"So which one caught your eye?" Riddick said, looking back at the group to seem conspicuous on purpose, glancing at Rhea for a moment.

Rhea gave Riddick a slight head nod to let him know she could still hear them.

"No, no, don't look. Christ, what the hell's wrong with you?" Johns said, turning Riddick back around.

"Imam, slow down. Just a little more space between us and them." Fry said.

"Alright, enough of this shit. You do the girl, and I'll keep the others off your back." Johns said.

"Which one?" Riddick said.

"The one that's bleeding, of course. That is, unless you have something in mind for the other one. She's pretty cute. If I were you, I know what I'd do with her." Johns said, smugness in his voice.

Rhea's grip tightened around the bottle she was holding. Hearing what Johns had just said made her want to ghost him.

Riddick stopped walking, Rhea thought she could actually _feel _him emanating ferocity, though he didn't show it the way Rhea felt it. Johns stopped walking after seeing Riddick stop.

"It's not too big a job for you, is it?" Johns said.

Riddick was turned around now, which made Rhea stop in her tracks as well.

"I'm just wondering if we don't need a bigger piece of bait." Riddick said.

"Like who?" Johns said.

Riddick and Johns stared each other down for a good few seconds before Riddick knocked the flare out of Johns' hand, and grabbed his gun away from him. Riddick went to shoot Johns, but Johns stopped the gun with his arms.

"Leave the site, let's move!" Fry said.

Rhea looked back to watch the group start running in the other direction. Rhea had been walking a little ahead of them so she was the only person who had been in the middle of the two groups.

"Should I follow them to make sure they don't end up getting themselves killed?" Rhea said. Rhea looked back and forth between them and the fight that was ensuing. "… They've got light to protect them. I'll just wait here. Should be over soon anyways."

Two more shots were fired.

"Let's go, let's go!" Fry said.

Rhea went into a crouching position so that she was less likely to be hit, and would allow her to move at a moments notice if necessary.

The shots that were fired started to rouse the bioraptors that were in the area. Rhea could somewhat see what was going on since there was a flare not too far from Johns and Riddick, it also helped that Riddick was still wearing his light on his back.

So far, Johns had broken Riddick's arm, which made Riddick push Johns towards a bunch of dangerous, pointed rocks.

Riddick had popped his bone back into place.

'Ouch.' Rhea thought, the sound made her cringe a little. 'Toughen up, Rhea.'

Rhea shook it off, and continued to watch the scuffle in front of her.

Riddick started to take off his light while Johns and him did the predator/prey waltz. The difference between the one Riddick and Rhea had done, and the one that was happening now, was that when it had been between Riddick and Rhea, Riddick hadn't been out for blood. Riddick's stance was more menacing and serious, strong and precise.

Johns started getting nervous, hearing the bioraptors fly behind him, he would check for a second and look back at Riddick to make sure he was still where he had been before.

The bioraptors were far enough away from Rhea that she didn't feel the need to be worried.

"You'll get what you want soon enough." Rhea said, watching as one of the bioraptors passed her by.

Rhea saw Riddick pull out his shiv, Johns mimicked this motion.

"One rule." Riddick said, before knocking Johns' shiv out of his hand and knocking him to the ground. "Stay in the light." Riddick said, standing behind Johns.

Johns got up while pulling out his nightstick, and tripped Riddick.

Rhea had the urge to get up and help for a moment, but she kept still.

'This isn't my fight.' Rhea thought, watching Johns and Riddick go at it.

Riddick had managed to knock the nightstick out of Johns' hand, but Johns ended up being able to pick up Riddick's shiv. Johns was struggling to get the shiv near Riddick's face.

"Remember that moment." Riddick said, a hint of struggle in his voice.

Riddick was able to knock Johns off of him, get behind him, grab his shiv, and slice Johns' back open as soon as Johns stood back up.

Johns let out a yell after the shiv made contact with his back, and fell to the ground groaning in pain.

"Should have never taken the chains off Johns." Riddick said, picking his light back up.

Johns crawled over to his gun, and turned onto his back. The flare went out, making it so that Rhea couldn't see them as well as before, she could still hear them though.

"You were one brave fuck before." Riddick said.

Johns started loading his gun.

"Billy badass. The chains." Riddick said.

Johns just started loading his gun faster and more desperately.

"The gauge." Riddick said, stepping back so that he was as far away from Johns as possible. "Badass." Riddick said, his last words seeming to echo.

Johns stood back up, a light on his gauge. Johns looked around not being able to see Riddick since he turned his light off.

"Told you to ghost me." Riddick said.

Riddick's voice seemed to be coming from all directions at once, it sent a chill up Rhea's spine.

'I'm glad I haven't had to face him like this.' Rhea thought.

Johns started turning every which way he heard that the bioraptors were moving in.

Rhea heard one go for Johns. It knocked him down and Johns shot off a round, he missed. Rhea heard the bioraptor run for Johns.

Johns cocked his gun again but the bioraptor impaled him with it's tail before he could shoot again. Rhea heard Johns start to choke, and could smell him coughing up fresh blood. The last thing Rhea heard was the bioraptor taking a bite out of something, and she knew it was over.


	13. Seriously?

"What a horrible way to go." Rhea said, seeing Riddick's light and hearing his foot steps not too far from her.

Rhea put the lit Spirit behind her back, careful not to let it touch her clothing or hair.

Riddick looked down at Rhea once he was in front of her.

"You know, with the light behind you like that, you kind of look like a saint." Riddick said, his facial expression neutral.

Rhea stayed silent for a little bit, trying to read his expression.

"I've been getting that lately." Rhea said, looking at Riddick with an equally neutral expression.

Riddick reached his hand down and touched Rhea's face, then he ran his thumb across her lips before he leaned down to kiss her. Rhea kissed back, she moved the Spirit so that it was to the side of them equally. Riddick's eyes were closed so Rhea knew it wouldn't bother him. Riddick's hands traveled down to Rhea's waist, he pulled her closer before picking her up. Rhea wrapped her arms around Riddick's neck, careful not to burn either of them.

Rhea heard Riddick's breathing start to quicken and become shallow. Rhea wrapped her legs around Riddick's middle, and felt him start to get excited. One of Riddick's hands started traveling up Rhea's shirt and over her stomach, making Rhea's breathing start to match Riddick's. Rhea stopped kissing Riddick for a moment to see his facial expression, it was still neutral but there was something new in his eyes, it may have been passion. Rhea didn't could've cared less at that moment though.

Rhea went back to kissing Riddick, she let go of his neck with her free hand while she kept the other one wrapped steadily around his neck. Rhea started running her hand up the back of Riddick's shirt, and lightly scratched his back. Riddick pushed Rhea up momentarily adjusting the way her legs rested on his middle. Rhea started kissing and lightly biting Riddick's neck, which seemed to make him even more excited.

If it weren't for Rhea's common sense kicking in, which she hated but couldn't ignore at that moment, and the fact she almost let herself drop the Spirit she was holding, she would have continued. Rhea broke away from Riddick and looked him in the eyes.

"As much as I'd _really _like to do this right now, we have to go find the others." Rhea said.

"Seriously?" Riddick said, looking put off.

"Yes." Rhea said, unwrapping her legs from Riddick's middle.

Riddick put Rhea back down.

"You're giving me blue balls here, kid." Riddick said, starting to look around to try and see where the group might be now.

"Could you please not call me that when we're doing stuff like this?" Rhea said, frowning.

"Fine." Riddick said, starting to walk ahead of Rhea.

Rhea put her hand on Riddick's bicep before he was too out of reach for her.

"Hey." Rhea said, making sure Riddick turned around to look at her. "Later." Rhea said, rubbing Riddick's arm.

* * *

Riddick and Rhea watched as the group looked around frantically, not really paying too much attention to their surroundings, only the monsters. This made it easy for Rhea and Riddick to sneak up on the group.

The group yelled out in surprise when they all turned around to see Riddick in front of them all of a sudden, Rhea was a little ways behind Riddick.

"Back to the ship huh? Just huddle together till the lights burn out." Riddick said.

"You get away from us." Fry said.

"'Till you can't see what's eating you. That the big plan?" Riddick said.

"Where's Johns?" Imam said.

"Which half?" Riddick said seriously.

This made Fry gasp.

"We're gonna lose everybody out here. Should've stayed at the ship." Jack said, looking in the direction of the noise the bioraptors made.

"He died fast, and if we have any choice about it, that's the way we should all go." Riddick said, making his way over towards Jack.

Jack started to cry.

"Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare." Riddick said.

Jack did her best to stop.

"Come on." Rhea said, grabbing hold of Jack's hand.

* * *

Riddick found the skeleton of one of the bioraptors. A bone on the right side of it's head had fallen off, so he did the best to hold it back in place.

"Blind spot." Riddick said, analyzing it.

"Shall we pray together?" Imam said.

Riddick was startled by this, so he let bone he was holding fall and turned around quickly. Riddick moved to sit down, Rhea was sitting across from him and Imam.

"I have already prayed with the others." Imam said.

Riddick stayed quiet as he started tying the power cells together.

"It is painless." Imam said, trying to pursued Riddick.

"It's pointless." Riddick said, glancing at Imam.

"Because you do not believe in, God, does not mean he doesn't believe in you." Imam said.

"Think someone can spend half their life in a slam, with a horse bit in their mouth and not believe? Think they can start out in some liquor store trash bin with an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and not believe?" Riddick said, his face seemed to hold emotions from the past. "You got it all wrong, Holy Man. I absolutely believe in, God, and I absolutely hate the fucker." Riddick said.

Riddick was finished tying the cells together now.

Imam shook his head.

"He is with us non the less." Imam said.

"Two of your boys are already dead. How much faith do you have left father?" Riddick said.

Imam stayed quite, but kept a stern face.

"What about you?" Imam said, facing Rhea.

"I was raised Catholic, and I stopped being religious when I was around 14 or so. I really don't remember, I've had a lot to deal with lately." Rhea said.

"So, you don't believe in him either." Imam said.

"That's not what I said. I said I haven't felt the need to be a practicing Catholic lately. If anything, I'm Agnostic now. I've come to a point in my life where I simply exist." Rhea said.

"Then what is it that keeps you going?" Imam said.

Rhea thought before answering Imam.

"The fact that there are people somewhere out there that are expecting to see me again one day, and I'm expecting to see them as well. The fact that if I lie down and let my life be taken by whomever or whatever thinks they or it can, that I can rightly be labeled a failure in life. The fact that I have unlimited love for the people in my life who I consider close enough to be family, and would die for them if given the chance to prove how much they mean to me." Rhea said, looking Riddick straight in the eyes while saying the last part.


	14. Move!

Everyone in the group made sure to stay enough close together in case the bioraptors decided to get bold and get near them even though they had lights. They stopped walking once Riddick crouched down in front of them, he was looking for a clear way to the skiff.

"Only see one way, that way." Riddick said, pointing straight ahead. "It's the only way off this rock. Just keep the girl between you."

The bioraptors were all around them, flying or moving just a few yards away at all times.

"What about the cells?" Imam said, as Riddick went past him to get behind the group.

"I'll take those." Riddick said.

Riddick pulled his goggles on to shield his eyes from the lights in front of him.

"Move." Riddick said.

"Are you sure you can keep up?" Fry said.

"Move!" Riddick said.

The group started running.

"I assume that means, yes." Rhea said.

* * *

While the group was running, a swarm made up of miniature bioraptors started heading towards them. The group started slowing down a bit, but they never stopped.

The mini bioraptors that flew close enough to the group caught fire, and if a bioraptor ended up touching another one of it's own, it caught fire as well.

Rhea looked back in time to see Riddick dodging the now flaming mini bioraptors that came his way. One of the bioraptors even got close enough to knock the head wrap off of Suleiman's head.

A blue substance started raining down on the group while the bioraptors passed overhead.

Rhea looked up and was surprised by what she saw, but she had sense enough to keep moving.

"Do not look up!" Riddick said.

Rhea put her head back down in time to see Fry look up.

"Do not look up!" Riddick said.

"They're killing each other." Fry said, stopping in her tracks.

Riddick moved Fry out of the way in time before one of the bioraptors fell on her.

The group did their best to dodge bioraptors that fell in front of them. One almost got Rhea in the face, but she did a quick power slide and avoided it.

"Are you okay?" Jack said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" Rhea said, getting back up and continuing to run beside Jack.

"I-I'll be better once we get to the skiff." Jack said.

"We all will." Rhea said.

Riddick had lost his footing for a moment, but got right back up and kept moving. When the group got to a certain point, they had to stop because some bones were blocking the way. They were the ones that collapsed when the group had driven under them in the sand cat earlier.

"Move! Keep movin'! Keep movin'!" Riddick said, getting ahead of the group.

Riddick and Imam started moving the bones that were loose enough to move out of the way.

Riddick went through first with the cells, then Imam, Jack, Fry, and then Rhea. Suleiman was about to go next, but one of the bioraptors the group thought to be dead grabbed onto his leg.

Suleiman dropped his Spirit and started yelling.

"Shit!" Rhea said, turning back around.

Imam and Rhea tried to pull Suleiman out of the vioraptors grasp.

'I think I still have that rock.' Rhea thought.

Rhea patted her pockets until she felt it. Rhea slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled the rock out before she started slashing at the bioraptor's hand and arm. It had to hurt because the bioraptor started noise, but it still didn't let go. Fry had to come over with the Spirits and light the fluid that was on the ground from the Spirit that had just broken in order to get the bioraptor to let go of Suleiman's leg. Rhea, Imam, and Fry managed to pull Suleiman over to their side and surveyed the damage.

"Riddick, wait. Riddick." Jack said.

Rhea turned around to see Riddick wasn't slowing down, but she had to turn back around to help Imam take care of Suleiman's leg.

Fry held the lights for them as they covered Suleiman's leg up. Rhea heard something fall from the ceiling, and saw that one of the bioraptors had Jack pinned underneath a column of bone. Jack started yelling, and the bioraptor started knocking it's hard skull against the bone.

Fry was now turned fully around, and so was Riddick.

The bioraptor started breaking through the bone.

Rhea looked up to see Riddick turn as if he was about to leave.

'Please, don't do this.' Rhea thought, hoping Riddick wouldn't leave them to take care of two major problems at once by themselves.

Fry went and grabbed the flashlight that Jack had dropped and ran to help Jack.

"Ha! Get off of her!" Fry said, waving the flame near the bioraptor to try and make it go away.

The bioraptor was clearly burning, but made no attempt to stop trying to attack Jack.

"Ha! Get off her!" Fry said, still going at it.

Rhea looked up in time to see Riddick take his goggles off and start heading back over to the group.

'Thank, God!' Rhea thought relieved.

The bioraptor knocked the flashlight out of Fry's hand before it turned around to lunge at Riddick. Riddick caught the creature by the arms, and held it back. Jack rolled out from underneath the bone towards Fry and Rhea.

"It's okay." Fry said.

The bioraptor was trying to take a chunk out of Riddick but he wasn't going to let up, he kept the bioraptor away at arms length. When the bioraptor reared up to try and attack Riddick with it's tail, he took the opportunity to rip one of it's talons off and slice it open three times, each time going full circle to get enough force to slice through it's stomach.

Rhea smelled fresh blood and heard the bioraptor's organs fall out and onto the ground. Riddick made sure the bioraptor was dead by twisting it's head and breaking it's neck.

"Did not know who he was fuckin' with." Riddick said.

'Damn, that was so fucking badass!' Rhea thought.

What Riddick had done made Rhea excited, and sent chills up her spine.

Riddick looked over at Fry and Jack.

Imam was done dealing with Suleiman's leg injury, so everyone was ready to start moving again.

* * *

The group ran as fast as they could with Riddick ahead of them. Suleiman had fallen after they traveled a few yards or so. Imam and Fry went to help him up. Rhea had stopped long enough to notice the air had a moist scent, and the atmosphere started to feel denser. Rhea looked up in time to have a rain drop fall on her face.

Imam picked Suleiman up and was planning on carrying him the rest of the way, but it had started to rain.

"Oh no." Fry said, looking up.

It started full out pouring.

Rhea, Fry, and Jack tried to keep the lights from going out, but it was no use.

Riddick started to laugh, he turned around to face Imam.

"So, where the hell's your God now?" Riddick said, smiling for a bit before he let his face fall to show a serious demeanor.

Rhea, Imam, Suleiman, Fry and Jack had gotten near the wall of the canyon in hopes that the ledge above would stop the rain enough for them to stop the flames from getting extinguished.

Riddick was on the other side on higher ground, but still not too far from the group.

Fry's flame had already gone out, and Jack was trying to light it back up with her own, when that didn't work Rhea tried to light it with hers. The problem wasn't with Jack's or Rhea's, it was that Fry's wick was too wet to relight.

Imam tied the wrap tighter around Suleiman's leg to stop the blood flow, he let out a brief pained groan.

Fry looked over in Riddick's direction, worried.

"Riddick! Are we close?" Fry said.

Riddick didn't answer.

"Just tell me that the settlement is right there!" Fry said.

"We can't make it." Riddick said.


	15. What, Are You Afraid?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rhea said.

While the group had been turned away, one of the bioraptors had come and dragged Suleiman away up the wall of the cliff.

'How did I not hear that one? What else am I not going to be able to sense now?' Rhea thought worried.

Imam yelled after Suleiman, and collapsed to the ground in defeat.

"Hide here, now!" Riddick said, pushing a rock away from the face of the cliff.

Jack went inside first, then Fry. Rhea handed her flame off to Imam, and he went inside. Rhea was about to go inside before Riddick stopped her.

"Huh?" Rhea said.

Riddick didn't say anything, he just kept a serious face and sealed the others up inside the mountain with the rock he moved before. Riddick started walking away from the rock. Rhea could only follow since she couldn't stay by herself without a light.

Riddick was struggling to get the cells up a steep surface.

"What are you doing?" Rhea said.

Riddick didn't answer Rhea, he just kept dragging the cells up. Rhea started to help Riddick since there was no point in waiting to get an answer while out in the open. The ground was slippery, which made it harder to keep the cells from sliding back down. Rhea did her best to use all her strength and try to keep up with Riddick as they dragged the cells.

* * *

Rhea and Riddick were able to get to leveled ground after some struggling.

"How far are we?" Rhea said.

"Not too far." Riddick said.

Riddick looked back for a moment before moving towards the settlement.

Rhea and Riddick made it to the skiff.

"Finally. Once we're done powering it up, we can go back and get the others and get the hell out of this God forsaken hell hole." Rhea said.

Riddick stayed quiet.

Riddick had hooked the cells up to the skiff, and it started working. The lights came on and Rhea felt she could finally sit down for a moment. Riddick started closing the door.

"What's up?" Rhea said, getting up.

After the door closed Riddick broke the light off on some power boxes.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Rhea said alarmed. "How are we supposed to go back for them, if we have no hand held form of lights?" Rhea said furious.

Riddick looked at Rhea and didn't say anything. That's all it took for Rhea to understand.

"Hey! We _can't _leave them here like this!" Rhea said.

Riddick started prepping the skiff for leaving.

"Did you hear what I said?" Rhea said.

Riddick didn't even bother to look at Rhea this time, he just kept doing what was necessary to get the skiff going.

Riddick was getting ready to put on his safety belt when Rhea saw him do a double take at something outside, she looked outside also and saw it was Fry. Fry was holding the glowing Spirit bottle but it was glowing blue from the inside, and it didn't have a flame.

* * *

Riddick opened the hatch of the skiff back up so Fry could come in.

"Strong survival instinct, I admire that in a woman." Riddick said, once Fry was behind the skiff at the hatch door.

"I promised them, that we would go back with more light!" Fry said.

"Did you?" Riddick said. Riddick was leaning at the entrance of the opening now. "Hmm." Riddick said, looking directly at Fry.

Fry threw down the glowing bottle.

"What, are you afraid?" Fry said.

This made Riddick start laughing.

"Me, afraid?" Riddick said, grinning.

Fry got closer.

"Come on, Riddick, there's got to be some part of you that wants to rejoin the human race." Fry said.

"Truthfully, I wouldn't know how." Riddick said, crouching down.

"Well then just give me more light for them, I'll go back by myself!" Fry said.

"Okay." Riddick said, before throwing Fry the flashlight that he had broken.

"There you go." Riddick said, facial expression staying neutral.

"Please, just go with me." Fry said, starting to plead with Riddick now.

"I got a better idea. Come with us." Riddick said.

Fry started shaking her head slightly.

"You're fucking with me, I know you are." Fry said.

"You know I am?" Riddick said, getting to his feet. "You don't know anything about me. I _will_ leave you here." Riddick said, seriousness enveloping his voice.

Rhea hadn't said anything the whole time, because she really had no idea what would happen or what to say.

"Step inside." Riddick said.

Fry looked back to where she had come from and got down on her knees.

"I can't." Fry said, quietly.

"Sure you can." Riddick said.

"I can't." Fry said.

"Here, I'll make it easy on you." Riddick said, holding his hand out for Fry to take it.

Fry started sobbing and shaking her head.

"Take my hand." Riddick said, trying to coax Fry into coming onto the skiff. "Come on. Come on."

Fry just kept shaking her head, and stayed on her knees while quietly sobbing.

"Look, no one's gonna blame you. Save yourself, Carolyn." Riddick said, his arm wasn't extended anymore but he was still at the door waiting for Fry to give in.

Fry looked up at Riddick.

"Come on. Come on." Riddick said, going out and helping Fry get to her feet. "That's it." Riddick said, once Fry started crawling her way up the ramp the door made. "That's it." Riddick said, watching Fry start walking in. "Good girl." Riddick said, watching Fry get to her feet.

Fry sniffled and she no longer had her crying face displayed.

Riddick turned back when he heard one of the bioraptors. Rhea saw Fry's face, she looked at Rhea for a moment and then seemed to be recalling something. The longer Fry stayed like that, the quicker her breathing became, and the angrier her facial expression got.

Rhea took a few step backwards, sensing another scuffle about to break out.

Fry turned around and literally jump Riddick. Fry was now on top of Riddick on the muddy, soaked ground.

"Now you! You listen to me!" Fry said, directly in Riddick's face. "I am the captain of this ship, and I am not leaving anyone on this rocky road fucking thing, even if there's you - " Fry said, about to punch Riddick when he flipped her off of him.

Riddick pulled Fry under him and held his shiv to her neck.

"Stop!" Rhea said, the scene had pulled her out of her momentary stupor.

"Get that thing off my neck." Fry said.

"Shut up!" Riddick said, shiv still against Fry's neck. "Would you die for them?"

"I would die for them." Fry said.

"You didn't answer me." Riddick said.

"Yes I would, Riddick. I would, I would die for them." Fry said.

Riddick took his goggles off and took his shiv off of Fry's neck.

"How interesting." Riddick said.


	16. Never Had A Doubt

Rhea, Riddick, and Fry went back to get Imam and Jack. Riddick moved the rock and Fry stuck her head in. Fry stepped back to let Riddick look inside, he smiled at Jack and Imam.

"Never had a doubt!" Jack said confidently.

"Anyone not ready for this." Riddick said.

"There is my, God, Mr. Riddick." Imam said.

* * *

They all started running back to the settlement with Riddick in the very front, and Imam in the very back. Riddick stopped in his tracks. There were a few bioraptors in the way, and they had to wait for the right moment to run through the middle of them. They all got close to the wall of the canyon, and locked their hands together to make a chain so they wouldn't lose anyone once they got through.

Once Riddick thought the moment was right, they all started running again. They made it through unscathed, but the bioraptors came back down.

"Don't stop, don't stop." Imam said, helping whoever needed it up the steep slope.

"Come on! Move! Move! You know the way." Riddick said. "Go!"

"I'm not leaving you out here by yourself!" Rhea said.

Rhea let out a quick yell when she heard and felt one of the bioraptors land not too far in front of Riddick.

"Get up!" Rhea said.

Riddick started pushing himself up the slope backwards as fast as he could. Once Rhea was close enough to reach Riddick, she pulled him up and they started running in the direction of the skiff again.

"Damn, this thing won't quit!" Rhea said, hearing the creature chase after them.

"It's hungry. What do you expect?" Riddick said.

"Right." Rhea said.

* * *

Rhea was able to get ahead of Riddick while they were running. Rhea heard one of the bioraptors fly overhead, so she made a sharp turn when she sensed a corner. Riddick was still behind her when one of the bioraptors landed, it had ended up getting in between Rhea and Riddick.

Rhea stayed in her spot and crouched down. Riddick stopped short when he saw the bioraptor hadn't seen him right away. The bioraptor turned around to face Riddick, and Rhea's heart felt like it exploded in her chest. Riddick had gone right up in the bioraptor's face, and made sure to stay in the middle.

The way it didn't attack Riddick made Rhea realize that that's what Riddick was talking about when he mentioned a blind spot he found on the skeleton. The bioraptor had turned around to leave after a few moments of not being able to see anything in front of it, unfortunately another bioraptor came that spotted Riddick when he was going to try and leave the other way, and alerted the other one to turn around.

Riddick was caught between both bioraptors now.

"Fucking shit!" Rhea said, in a hushed voice.

'I need to do something quick!' Rhea thought.

Rhea closed her eyes and listened for where the bioraptor was. When Rhea heard the rain was no longer in a free fall in a spot not too far from her, she knew where the bioraptor was.

Rhea checked her pockets for a weapon, she ended pulling out the claw that Riddick had previously torn off the bioraptor he killed in the cave while saving Jack.

"Alright, time to go to work." Rhea said.

Rhea moved out of her hiding spot and tried getting the bioraptor's attention.

"Hey, you stupid fuck! Over here!" Rhea said.

Rhea heard the bioraptor turn it's head, and the water that had been on its head got flung in her direction.

Rhea shivered, not knowing that the creature had been _that _close. Rhea closed her eyes to get a better idea of how the bioraptor was moving, Without light there was no real reason for Rhea to be using her eyes to see.

The bioraptor tried to stab Rhea with it's tail, but she moved her body sideways just in time. When the bioraptor's tail made contact with the ground, she took the opportunity to slash at it making the bioraptor let out a pained roar.

"Rhea!" Riddick said, sounding like he was currently struggling.

"I'm fine. Pay attention to your own problems right now." Rhea said.

The bioraptor pulled it's tail back and tried to stab Rhea again. Rhea did a back bend and came to rest on her forearms so that she would be anchored enough when she sent a powerful kick to the underside of the bioraptor's jaw. The bioraptor roared out in pain and frustration.

"That's what you get for acting on impulse." Rhea said, taunting the bioraptor.

Rhea would have gotten back up had it not been for the bioraptor pulling it's tail back, and taking Rhea with it. Rhea felt herself being spun around, until the bioraptor let go of her leg, causing her to be flung into a container not too far from where Riddick was.

"Rhea!" Riddick said.

Rhea was in and out of it as she started to feel the back of her head get warm.

'Am I bleeding?' Rhea thought.

Rhea touched the back of her head and felt warm liquid ooze onto her hand, along with a sharp pain that came when she touched the spot.

'Yeah, that's definitely my blood.' Rhea thought, before passing out.

Rhea woke up shortly after to Fry's voice.

"Riddick? Rhea?" Fry called.

"What? She's still her?" Rhea said.

Rhea looked around.

"Riddick?" Rhea called uncertainly.

Rhea heard a gasp and turned to see Riddick lying next to two dead bioraptors.

"Riddick!" Rhea said, trying to stand up.

Standing up made Rhea need to vomit.

"Fuck. My equilibrium is off." Rhea said, closing her eyes to try and stop the world from spinning.

Rhea slowly made her way over to Riddick and tried to help him up.

'If I hadn't gotten my ass handed to me by that stupid thing, he wouldn't be in this bad of shape.' Rhea thought, feeling guilty that Riddick was left to take care of both the bioraptors.

* * *

"Rhea! Riddick!" Fry called.

"Come on." Rhea said, trying to help Riddick walk.

Riddick and Rhea stumbled over to a container all bloody and torn up, before Riddick collapsing by it, startling Fry.

"I can't do this by myself!" Rhea yelled over the rain, she was down on her knees due to exhaustion.

"Okay, hold onto me. Hold onto me, we're going to get out of here." Fry said, helping Riddick get to his feet.

Fry struggled to help Riddick up, he fell onto his stomach.

"Rhea! Help me!" Fry said.

Rhea did her best to suck it up and get back on her feet.

"Come on, Riddick! Get up! Get up! Get Up!" Fry said, urging Riddick on. "I said I'd die for them, not you." Fry said, while helping Riddick back to his feet.

Rhea got on the other side of Riddick to help support some of his weight. After a while Rhea collapsed on he back in front of Riddick from having almost no energy left.

"Fuck! I can't do this!" Rhea yelled frustrated.

There were sounds of wings flapping and then Fry gasping, and then the smell of blood came.

"What just happened? What just happened?" Rhea said, starting to panic.

One of the bioraptors had stuck it's tail through Fry's torso, and lifted her up into the sky. Riddick had tried to save Fry, but couldn't hold onto her hand do to the rain making friction nonexistent.

Riddick collapsed onto the rain socked, muddy ground along side Rhea.

"Not for me. Not for me!" Riddick yelled into the sky.

Rhea wanted to cry more that anything at that moment. In less than half an hour, she had proven to be useless on two accounts.

"Come on, we have to get to the skiff." Rhea said, getting up off the ground.

* * *

Rhea and Riddick made it back to the skiff in one piece.

"Where's Fry?" Jack said.

Rhea helped Riddick get to the pilot's seat before looking back at Jack, and giving her a mournful look before shaking her head.

Riddick started prepping the skiff for take-off.

"I don't think I've ever been this relieved to leave someplace before." Rhea said.

Rhea was sitting in the co-pilot chair next to Riddick, her eyes were closed.

"There's so much prayer to make up for, I scarcely know where to begin." Imam said, fiddling with his prayer beads.

"I know where I'd start." Jack said.

Riddick switched on all the lights of the skiff, and started up its engine. Riddick started to ease the throttle up, then abruptly pulled it back down in addition to turning everything in the skiff off, including the lights.

"Riddick, what are you doing?" Jack said.

Rhea grabbed onto Riddick's arm.

"Whatever you're planning, please don't let it be something stupid." Rhea said, trembling from exhaustion, being cold and wet, and being stressed out by the current situation.

Riddick stayed quiet and watched the bioraptors start to approach the skiff.

The bioraptors started climbing on top of the skiff, their claws making a horrible dragging noise.

"Can we just get the hell out of here now?" Jack said, in a hushed voice.

"We can't leave - " Riddick said.

A bioraptor bumped it's head against the glass windshield of the skiff, clawing and biting at it.

"Without saying goodnight." Riddick said, before turning the engine on full throttle, killing as many bioraptors as possible before they finally left the planet.

The planet with two rings came into view.

"Jesus." Rhea said, before getting out of her seat to sit in the back of the skiff.

Jack strapped herself into the seat Rhea had just gotten out of.

"A lot of questions, whoever we run into. Could even be a merc ship. So what the hell do we tell them about you?" Jack said, addressing Riddick.

"Tell em' Riddick's dead." Riddick said, turning to face Jack. "He died somewhere on that planet."

"And you?" Jack said, addressing Rhea.

"I don't know, just make something up." Rhea said, too tired to think at the moment. "Hey. Don't let me go to sleep for at least 3 hours, I think I may have a concussion.


	17. They're Reeling Us In

"Hull breach contained. Engines operating at 170 percent. Capacity." The ship said.

Riddick tried to fix what was happening, but nothing he did was working.

"Engine under current parameters" The ship said.

The ship was being pulled in after a hook got shot through its left wing.

Imam fiddled with his prayer beads, trying to keep as calm as possible.

"Critical systems failure in 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second." The ship said.

Riddick hit a switch turning off all systems.

"First you're a boy, then you're a girl, and now you're a psychic." Riddick said, twiddling his fingers while looking back at Jack. "Careful what you wish for, Jack."

Jack gave Riddick a nervous smile.

"Unidentified craft, state your purpose and contents." A voice over a loud speaker outside of the ship said.

No one answered.

"Unidentified craft, state your purpose and contents." The voice said again, but this time more sternly. "Unidentified craft, state your purpose and contents."

"Name's, Johns. My ship got scrapped in the transport run. The only survivors from Helimus are with me. Outside of that, we've got nothing." Riddick said.

"Tell me, Mr. Johns. What brings you to this lonely corner of space?" The voice said.

"I'm a bounty hunter." Riddick said.

"Then it appears we have something in common." The voice said.

The ship started being pulled in faster than it had been before.

Jack gasped at the creaking that the ship was making.

"They're reeling us in." Jack said, looking concerned.

"I know it's a little much to ask at the moment, but try and stay calm, okay?" Rhea said, grabbing hold of Jack's hand.

"Okay." Jack said, squeezing Rhea's hand.

"Ship is secure in bay three." A different voice over the loud speaker outside the ship said.

Riddick brought out a lighter to start up a cutting torch inside the skiff.

"No offense, but I don't think that's going to cut it against what's coming for us." Jack said.

"Hold your breath." Riddick said, taking the cutting torch away from the ship's extinguishing system.

The hull got blasted open after what seemed like forever, making extinguishing foam burst out of the skiff and filled up some of the bay.

Riddick started killing the mercs that got caught in the foam as quickly as he could. The red spots in the foam became the only indication of where Riddick had once been.

Jack came out for air before going back in to avoid being filled with bullets, Imam and Rhea did the same.

Riddick burst through the foam with impressive speed, especially with no gravity inside the ship's bay, dodging the bullets being shot at him. Once Riddick reached one of the platforms, he kicked a merc in the face before continuing his rampage. Riddick stabbed another merc in the face before taking his gun and using it on another merc that was near by. Another merc came up behind Riddick, hoping the get him from behind, but got stabbed in the face with the borrowed gun's bayonet attachment instead. Two more mercs came in front of Riddick, both getting stabbed in the jugular before they could register what had happened. Riddick ran up a platform before stabbing another merc in the stomach, and then using his freshly killed body as a human shield to protect himself from a barrage of bullets.

"You certainly know how to make an entrance." A man in a white coat said.

Jack came out of the foam and took hold of a gun floating near by.

"That's nothing, Scarecrow. He's gonna' kick your ass so - ugh!" Jack said, before Rhea pulled her back into the foam to keep her from being shot.

Jack got back out but was pushed down to the bay floor by the man in the white coat.

"I think not." The man in the white coat said, he had a bayonet pointed at Jack's face.

Jack gasped and put her hands up in surrender.

"What do you say?" The man in the white coat said, addressing Riddick.

"Call off your lap dog, before his trying to impress you gets him killed." Riddick said, turning his head to a figure in a white cloak; Riddick was strangling one of the mercs to death with one hand.

"Am I so obvious?" A female voice said.

"Call it what you want, but tell him to stand down. Now." Riddick said, turning to look in Jack's direction.

"You'll have to excuse, Junner's, excitement. It sometimes makes him a touch quick, though I can't say I blame him. You see, he's just heard so much about you, Riddick." The woman said.

Riddick made a face when he heard the woman use his name.

"Yes, I know your name. Quite a bit more about you, I think." The woman said, looking accomplished.

"Careful." Riddick said, before looking to where Junner still had Jack at his mercy, "You may find what you're digging for."

"I'm willing to share of course, but I must ask that you surrender your weapon before anymore of my apparently overpaid associates come to an untimely end." The woman said.

"Mmm, not gonna happen." Riddick said.

"No?" The woman said.

Junner squeezed slightly on the trigger of the gun he had pointed at Jack's face, making her shut her eyes tightly and tremble.

"The girl… is nothing to me." Riddick said, looking away from Junner and Jack's direction.

"Then enlighten me. Why would a stone cold killer such as yourself, go to all the trouble of keeping the likes of her alive?" The woman said.

Imam and Rhea stuck their heads out of the extinguishing foam to get air, and to see what had become of everyone.

"Unless of course, you've grown attached." The woman said.

"She's a cover story, nothing more. You shoot her now and you'll be saving me the trouble." Riddick said.

"Then I have your blessing." The woman said, turning and walking away.

Jack started whimpering even more, afraid that this was the end for her.

Riddick threw his shiv at the gun that Junner was holding to Jack's head.

"Maybe I know more about you than you do yourself." The woman said, still walking away.

"Now just ain't the time." Riddick said, before stomping his foot done on the merc from before, silencing him for good.

"Lock them down." The woman said.

Junner took the gun off Jack's forehead. The bayonet and the end of it had cut Jack's forehead a little.

"We're done here." The woman said.

One of her lackeys snatched Jack up and started to take her to holding, along with the others.

"Wait." Rhea said.

"Hmm, yes?" The woman said, looking back slightly.

"Who are you?" Rhea said.

"My name is, Antonia Chillingsworth. I am a powerful mercenary, and captain of this very ship." The woman, now known as Antonia Chillingsworth, said.


	18. It Can't Be Helped

"This extinguishing foam is seriously burning the gash on the back of my head." Rhea said.

Rhea's hands were cuffed together, as well as everyone else's.

"Let me see." Jack said, going up behind Rhea. Jack did her best to wipe the foam off.

"Ah… ah!" Rhea exclaimed.

"Sorry." Jack said.

"It can't be helped." Rhea said, sighing.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Imam said, marveling at the inside of the ship while being led to where they would be held.

"Merc ships? Plenty. Just try to figure out how it all goes together." Riddick said.

Riddick was strapped down to a hovering chair.

"It is a plantation operation. A boat like this loads up at port, signs on as many men as it can hold, then goes out for months, sometimes years at a time. However long it takes to fill their stores." Imam said.

"Sent to merchant rigs, usually harvesting ore or maybe crops, not people." Riddick said.

"Captured bounties on one side, contracted man power on the other." Imam said.

"Just add heat." Jack said.

"You know a lot about this shit… for a holy man." Riddick said.

"I hear things." Imam said.

"Must be a special kind of desperate dick, signs on to this." Riddick said, to the merc on his right.

The merc was a bit heavy, had long brown hair with a connecting beard and mustache, and was wearing overalls over a grey shirt.

The merc hit Riddick in the face with his gun.

"Shut up!" The merc said.

"You're the exception of course. For you it's life experience." Riddick said, his demeanor never changing.

* * *

"So, what's the plan? It's not like we haven't gotten out of worse. The way I see it, we can take these jerks - Hey!" Jack said, when one of the mercs grabbed her shoulder.

"This is where we get off, princes." The merc said, mockingly.

"You too preacher." Another merc said, pushing Imam along.

"I will pray." Imam said.

"Not for me." Riddick said, before he started being taken away in an opposite.

"Let's go!" The merc said, shoving Jack forward.

"I won't leave without you Riddick! I'll find you!" Jack said, calling out to Riddick.

Rhea didn't budge, the world was spinning too fast for her to walk.

"Are you deaf? I said move it!" The merc said, pushing Rhea forward.

Rhea dropped to her knees after losing her balance, and began empting the contents of her stomach onto the floor.

"Ugh, sick." The heavy set merc said, before kicking Rhea in her stomach.

Rhea gasped before landing on her side.

'At least I didn't land in my own vomit.' Rhea thought, thankful for at least that much.

"Hey, Brick House. If I were you, I'd lay off the girl." Riddick said.

"Is that so?" The heavy set merc said, smirking at Riddick. "What exactly are you going to do about it?" The heavy set merc said, getting right it Riddick's face.

"You'll see once I get free." Riddick said calmly.

"Yeah, whatever." The heavy set merc said.

The merc that had pushed Rhea forward had now picked her up by the waist, and was carrying her along the way someone would a jacket.

'Maybe I can just rest my eyes a little now.' Rhea thought, before blacking out.

* * *

Jack, Imam, and Rhea were each standing on a giant ball with nooses around their necks and their hands still tied together.

"I said I'd find you, didn't I?" Jack said, looking concerned while addressing Riddick.

Sliding doors in the pit started to open up, which concerned the group immensely.

Riddick came flying down from where he was above the others, he had brought the heavy set merc down with him.

"I was on the pilgrimage, just a pilgrimage." Imam said, to himself.

"Please let me live through this." Rhea said, using all of her strength to keep balance on the ball.

"This is bad, huh?" Jack said.

"Give it a minute." Riddick said.

Riddick watched as a pair of squid like creatures came into view, one was glowing green and the other was glowing pink.

"Imam, pray." Riddick said.

The heavy set merc that had fallen down with Riddick had started shooting at the creatures that were drawing near. It had become dark before the green glowing creature grabbed onto the merc, and injected him with something. Whatever it had been, it made the merc melt like ice cream would on a hot day.

Imam, Jack, and Rhea gasped at the sight of this.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little." Rhea said, after smelling the man's melted body.

"That's the least of your worries right now." Riddick said.

Riddick got thrown into the ball that was underneath Jack's feet by one of the creatures. Without the ball to support her, she started to hang. Imam came to Jack's rescue with his own ball and got her feet grounded again.

The green glowing creature started heading toward Imam and Jack. Imam grabbed onto the rope and Jack grabbed onto him, and Imam rolled the ball into the creature. The creature ended up rolling along with the ball.

Rhea rolled her ball over to the others, and they grounded their feet onto her ball.

"It's become a bit crowded." Imam said.

"Ugh." Rhea said, having to close her eyes.

The way the creatures moved their glowing tentacles about was too much for Rhea's eyes to handle.

"Rhea!" Jack yelled.

"Really? That was right in my ear!" Rhea yelled back, frustrated because of the situation she was in.

The green glowing creature had come back for the group, and had grabbed onto Rhea's leg.

"Ah!" Rhea yelled.

The more the creature pulled, the tighter her noose got.

Rhea wrapped her hands around the noose and tried to pull her leg away, Imam and Jack were trying to help as well.

"Let go!" Rhea said.

The creature wouldn't let go.

"Let go! Let go! Let go!" Rhea said, continuously pulling her leg back as hard as she could.

The creature got out it's stinger, and was ready to do damage.

Jack and Imam gasped.

"Riddick!" Jack yelled, looking frantically in Riddick's direction.

"I'm a bit tied up at the moment." Riddick said, still fighting off the other creature.

"I said! LET! GO!" Rhea yelled.

A surge of red energy traveled down Rhea's leg, and into the creature. The creature let out a blood curdling screech. Whatever had just happened also seemed to make the creature furious, because it slapped the ball out from under their feet leaving the three of them to hang.


	19. What The Hell Was That?

"What the hell was that?" Jack said surprised.

"I don't know, but I feel even more wiped than before." Rhea said.

Imam had to hold on to his noose and to Rhea, because she couldn't hold herself up anymore.

It started to become hard for Jack and Imam to themselves up. Riddick ran away from the pink glowing creature, he used the green glowing creature to get air by using it as a quick step ladder, and sliced through all of their nooses in one swipe.

"Get them on their feet." Riddick said, referring to Jack and Rhea.

"I cannot see!" Imam said

"You don't want to." Riddick said.

"You wanna' go? Let's go." Riddick said, after the pink glowing creature had sliced through Riddick's restraints.

"They're gonna kill him!" Jack said, having to be stopped by Imam after he took off the part of her noose that was still around to her neck.

The pink glowing creature had gone in Jack's direction. Riddick had to roll the giant ball into it to stop it, he also cut off a few of it's tentacles. The pink glowing creature turned around and slapped the shiv out of Riddick's hand, and wrapped it's tentacles around both of his wrists.

"No!" Jack said.

Jack picked up the tentacle that had been cut off of one of the creatures, and she wrapped it around it's neck like it was a whip. Jack had picked up Riddick's knife.

Riddick made the creature slice through one of the tentacles that was restraining his arm.

"Riddick!" Jack said.

"Here!" Riddick said, his free hand outstretched so that he could catch his shiv when Jack threw it.

Riddick sliced through the pink glowing creature's other tentacle, finally freeing himself from it's grasp.

The pink glowing creature grabbed onto Riddick's arm again. Riddick let the creature pull him forward, and when he was close enough he drove his shiv into what seemed to have been the creature's vital organ, killing it.

The lights came on, and clapping was heard coming from above.

"Bravo! The grace, the expression, the shear violence of it. Exquisite." Antonia Chillingsworth said.

"Shiv." Riddick said, quietly.

"What?" Imam said.

"Give me the knife." Riddick said, clearly but not too loud.

"Such complete and thorough performance. It leaves only one question." Antonia Chillingsworth said.

"I got a feeling you're not gonna' like it." Jack said.

Imam tossed Riddick his shiv once Antonia blinked and looked away.

"How will I ever have you mounted to do it justice?" Antonia Chillingsworth said.

Riddick brought his shiv to the side of his neck.

"What are you…?" Antonia Chillingsworth said, once she saw what Riddick was doing. "No."

Riddick sliced his neck just enough so that he could stick his index finger into the hole, and pull the explosive out.

"Ugh!" Jack said, watching Riddick pull the device out. "You gonna' keep that?" Jack said, once Riddick had pulled it completely out of his neck.

"Looks like you'll have to be an abstract piece." Antonia Chillingsworth said, once she got her detonator.

"Down. Now." Riddick said, before throwing the device against one of the walls of the pit where it exploded, making an opening for them to escape.

Imam had Rhea on his back, and left through the hole as quickly as he could. Jack helped Riddick to his feet, and they made a break for it as well.

* * *

The group was making their way through the ship as fast as they could, Jack was having some trouble keeping up.

There was a noise that sounded animal and mechanic at the same time.

"What the hell was that?" Jack said.

"Don't move." Riddick said.

There was a half organic, half cybernetic creature that the mercs were using to track the group. There were about six mercs holding onto the creature, and when they let it loose, one merc was being dragged behind it do to his misfortune of getting stuck to one of the creature's leashes.

* * *

When the group found a platform Imam had to go first, then Riddick threw Rhea up for Imam to catch. Riddick climbed onto the platform before helping Jack up.

A light started shining on Jack.

"What the…?" Jack said.

The mercs started shooting, and Riddick almost dropped Jack. Riddick caught Jack by the back of her pants, and tossed her onto the platform before she could get hit.

"Are you badly hurt?" Imam said, addressing Riddick.

"Him? He almost tore me in half." Jack said, fixing her pants.

"Just a graze. This time." Riddick said.

The group was running and growing tired quickly.

Riddick stopped first, then Imam with Rhea on his back, who then turned around to see that Jack was lagging behind.

"We cannot stop." Imam said, addressing Jack.

"We're not outrunning this thing. Not the four of us." Riddick said.

"What? I can keep up." Jack said, trying to catch her breath.

"Maybe someday." Riddick said, looking up while planning something.

"Get them to the flight deck." Riddick said.

"It's just aft, up a level." Imam said.

"Stow in there and let whatever's following me pass." Riddick said, pointing to a gap in the wall. "When it does, make for the flight deck and don't look back, no matter what you hear."

"We'll wait for you." Jack said.

"Follow, Imam." Riddick said, before taking off down the hallway.

"What are you gonna' do?" Jack said.

Riddick didn't answer, he just kept running.

Not long after, a group of mercs ran past where the others were hiding.

"Where do we gotta' go to meet up with Riddick?" Jack said.

Imam put his hand over Jack's mouth and shushed her. The creature could be felt and heard coming, and seeing it was a whole other ball game. When the creature passed by, the group started heading to the ships bay.

"We've got to help him, Imam. We can't help him if we leave." Jack said, not wanting to leave without Riddick.

"Sometimes, that is exactly how it works." Imam said.

"Rhea,… Don't you think we should?" Jack said, pleading with Rhea.

"Truth be told, I can barely think right now." Rhea said, drifting in and out of consciousness.

'Damn it! I've never felt so helpless before!' Rhea thought, feeling disgusted with herself for being so weak.

Rhea started silently crying. No one seemed to notice, and if they did they didn't say anything.


	20. Want A Shot At The Title?

Imam pushed back a floor panel of the ships bay so that they could enter it. Imam was immediately knocked out with the butt of someone's gun, Rhea was dragged out of the hole by the back of her neck before she was tossed forward onto her stomach, and Jack was dragged the rest of the way out by the back of her shirt.

Jack saw that it was Junner, and started punching him in the face. Junner was unfazed by this, and slammed Jack against the nearest wall while holding her up by her neck. Jack gave Junner the bird and tried pounding on the arm that was attached to the hand around her neck.

"Let her go." Riddick said, coming from behind Junner. "It's me you're after. Want a shot at the title?" Riddick said, punching his open palm while advancing on Junner.

Junner took off his coat, which showed that he wasn't wearing a shirt, only suspenders. Junner pulled out his gun with the bayonet and the end of it, and Riddick got his shiv ready. Junner discarded the gun, but took the sword out of it.

Riddick charged first and almost ran into Junner's sword, but he stopped just in time. Riddick kicked Junner's sword out of his face, and tried slashing at Junner with his shiv. Junner ducked and then leaned back a little to avoid being sliced. Junner got behind Riddick and tried to impale him with his sword. Riddick leaned forward to avoid it, locked Junner's arm with his, and punched Junner in the face. Junner did the same afterwards, sending Riddick a few feet away from him. Junner spun and tried to decapitate Riddick, but Riddick dodged and punched Junner, making him spin a bit more.

Riddick wiped his mouth, and started moving in a circle with Junner. Junner did a high kick towards Riddick's head and missed the first time, but he got Riddick with his other leg. Riddick tackled Junner and had him pinned against a wall. Riddick was trying to stab Junner, but Junner was keeping Riddick's shiv at bay. Junner was trying to stab Ridick with his sword, but when he saw that he couldn't he kicked Riddick away. Junner started clashing his sword against Riddick's shiv as they continued to fight. Junner ended up sending Riddick's shiv into the air.

Riddick dodged a few of Junner's stabs, and grabbed Junner's arm before making him point his own sword towards himself and drop it. Junner kneed Riddick in the back of his knee, making Riddick lose balance for a moment, but that was enough for Junner. Junner then started to let a barrage of punches loose on Riddick's face. Riddick dodged and punched Junner back. Junner and Riddick started to let loose on each other, punching and kicking when they could. Junner finally ended it by kicking Riddick hard enough for him to fly into the wall across from Junner.

Riddick was on his knees.

Junner had gotten his sword and went back for Riddick, he passed Riddick's shiv on his way back over to him.

Riddick rolled out of the way of Junner slashing at him, and grabbed a cord hanging from the ceiling. Riddick ended up wrapping the cord around Junner's neck. Junner cut the cord so that he could get free, but when he did the lights went out. Junner openly gasped. Within a few seconds, Riddick had gotten his shiv and stabbed Junner in the eye with it, making Junner scream out in pain.

Red emergency lights started to come on, illuminating the room as much as they could.

"I told you that was coming." Riddick said, after Junner had hit the ground dead, shiv still in his eye.

* * *

Riddick went over to where Rhea was.

"You look rough." Riddick said.

"You're one to talk." Rhea said, turning over onto her back.

"Can you walk?" Riddick said.

"I don't even think sitting up is an option at this point." Rhea said.

"Up we go then." Riddick said, slinging Rhea over his shoulder.

"Don't be surprised when I vomit down your back." Rhea said.

Imam had finally woken up from being knocked unconscious, and saw Riddick was walking away.

"Where - where are you going?" Imam said, addressing Riddick.

"Gonna prep this ship, and get off this heap." Riddick said.

"So, _we_ can escape?" Imam said.

Riddick didn't say anything, but he did do a hand motion which told Imam to follow him.

* * *

Riddick turned the ship's handle and the hatch started to open.

"It is over. We have survived." Imam said, when Jack woke up.

Antonia Chillingsworth had been inside the ship. Antonia was panting and she looked incredibly disheveled. Antonia had a gun pointed at Riddick and pulled the trigger, making him fall backwards, dropping Rhea.

"Fucking fuck!" Rhea yelled.

Pain shot up through Rhea's neck, and she knew her neck would be stiff for a while. Rhea tried to move her fingers just to make sure she wasn't paralyzed, she had movement.

"Back to hell with you, you bloody stinking savage!" Antonia Chillingsworth yelled, standing over Riddick ready to finish the job.

There was another gun shot.

Jack had picked up Junner's discarded gun, and shot Antonia Chillingsworth in the head before she could finish Riddick off.

"We made it." Jack said.

"Awfully uncivilized thing you just did there, Jack" Riddick said.

* * *

Riddick and the others got o the ship and plotted their previous course to New Mecca.

"How's that?" Riddick said, placing Rhea in one of the sleeping pods.

"I'm a little afraid that if I actually go to sleep, that I won't wake up." Rhea said.

"I pretty sure you've been awake well over three hours by now, so you're concussion shouldn't be an issue at this point." Riddick said.

"If I die in my sleep, I swear I'll haunt your ass for the rest of your life." Rhea said, drifting to sleep.

"Coming from you, that wouldn't be much of a punishment." Riddick said, placing his hand on Rhea's head before going to the pilot's chair.


	21. Bed!

When the crew arrived in New Mecca it was already sunset.

Imam took them to the place that him and his acolytes were headed to before. The place wasn't that hard to find do to it's impressive build, it was the size of a palace.

Imam, Jack, and Riddick didn't have a problem with the place, but Rhea wasn't that thrilled to be there. In Rhea's personal opinion, nowadays religions brainwashed you so that they could take _all_ of your money. However, Rhea did think that there were still some religions that were pretty legit, you just had to know where to look.

When they got inside the temple, they were greeted by the priests and acolytes, and were later shown where they would be staying. It was a spacious three bedroom apartment, Rhea agreed to share a room with Riddick since all the beds were a good size.

Once Riddick and Rhea got to their room, she immediately jumped on the bed.

"Bed! Extra firm, just the way I like it." Rhea said, smiling with her eyes closed.

Rhea felt Riddick get on along side her. Rhea opened her eyes to look at Riddick, she couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not since he still had his goggles on. Rhea slowly started to take Riddick's goggles off. Riddick didn't stop her, so she took that as an okay to do so.

"How long do you plan on staying here." Riddick said.

"Just until my wounds and your wounds heal up." Rhea said.

"How long do you think that will take." Riddick said, turning over onto his back and putting his arms under his head like a pillow.

"A couple days or so." Rhea said, leaning over to give Riddick a quick kiss.

Riddick followed Rhea with his eyes as she moved back to her previous spot.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Rhea said.

"Need company?" Riddick said, about to get off the bed.

"Sorry, but no. Being stuck with you guys in a small space for as long as we were, has made me long for a little me time." Rhea said.

* * *

Rhea went back to her room in only a towel since she hadn't remembered to grab any clothes on the way out.

"So, do I get to have what I was promised earlier?" Riddick said.

Riddick was right behind Rhea, arms wrapped around her waist, face in her neck. If Riddick hadn't had such a good hold on her, she probably would have hit the ceiling.

"Jesus! I thought you were sleeping." Rhea said, startled.

Rhea turned around to face Riddick.

"Nope. I remember you saying something about 'later'." Riddick said, and lightly tugged on the rim of Rhea's towel.

"Here? Now?" Rhea said.

"Yes." Riddick said, pressing up against Rhea.

Riddick picked Rhea up and placed her on the bed. Riddick started kissing Rhea's neck, trailing from one side to the other.

"Um, don't you want to take a shower first?" Rhea asked nervously.

Riddick stopped and looked up at her.

"You want me to?" Riddick said.

"Yes, please." Rhea said.

"Be back in ten." Riddick said, getting off the bed.

"Twenty." Rhea said.

"Seriously?" Riddick said.

"Yes." Rhea said.

"Fine." Riddick said, before leaving to go shower.

'I can't believe I forgot about that.' Rhea thought. Thinking about what just happened made Rhea blush. 'What was I thinking? He could easily break me in half.'

Rhea tried to relax.

"Well, I'm sure he'd be careful enough." Rhea said, trying to reassure herself.

Rhea got underneath the covers and took her towel off.

"Now I just wait." Rhea said, trying to stay calm.

* * *

When Riddick got back he locked the door behind him, and got underneath the covers before he pulled Rhea closer to him.

Rhea started to shiver.

"What's wrong?" Riddick said.

"I'm just a little nervous." Rhea said.

"First time?" Riddick said.

"... Yeah." Rhea said embarrassed.

Rhea turned her face away from Riddick. Riddick turned Rhea's face back towards him.

"You'll get the hang of it." Riddick said, reassuringly.

Riddick started kissing Rhea like before, he ran his tongue over her bottom lip so she would open my mouth. Rhea kept my mouth closed.

'I should have brushed my teeth.' Rhea thought, self consciously.

Riddick ran his tongue over Rhea's bottom lip again, this time she opened her mouth, still as reluctant as before. Riddick's tongue started exploring the small cavities of Rhea's mouth. Rhea drew her tongue back, and ran the tip of her tongue over the tip of Riddick's. It was like electricity transferred between them.

Riddick traced down Rhea's torso, and circled her belly button with his tongue. Rhea couldn't help but giggle because of how sensitive that part of her stomach was to light touch. Riddick went back up to Rhea's chest and started to lightly trace his finger around her nipple. This made Rhea jolt a little. Rhea started whimpering when Riddick only traced around it, never actually touching it. Riddick then moved away completely as if to say, "If you want more, you've gotta' beg for it."

Rhea moved down under Riddick, and started biting and sucking on his neck; Riddick was still warm from recently getting out of the shower. Riddick exposed his neck to Rhea so she could get better access to it. Riddick put one arm behind Rhea's back and started to rub it, she did the same with his arms. Rhea stopped kissing Riddick's neck to look at him, she could only see his silhouette because of the moonlight, which was the only source of light in the room.

Riddick kissed Rhea again before moving down to her legs. Riddick started to trail kisses up and down the length of her inner thighs. Rhea put her hand over her mouth to stifle a moan, she felt herself getting hot down below and it made her embarrassed.

'Why do I have to be so modest? I'm not a nun for Christ's sake!' Rhea thought.

Rhea could tell that Riddick knew, because he kept going higher and higher. Riddick stopped once he reached Rhea's waist and left a trail there too, once he stopped he went back up to Rhea's eye level.

"Try to relax." Riddick said, positioning himself over Rhea. "Take a deep breath, and hold it for a few seconds."

Rhea did as she was told.

Once Riddick's tip touched Rhea's entrance, she closed her legs out of reflex.

"Sorry." Rhea said.

"Relax." Riddick said, reopening Rhea's legs for her.

Riddick positioned himself at Rhea's opening again, and when his tip touched her entrance she had to grab hold of the covers to keep herself from closing her legs again.

Riddick started to push himself inside of Rhea little by little, though he was being careful she couldn't help but whimper.

"Am I hurting you?" Riddick said, stopping.

"No, I'm fine. You can keep going." Rhea said, trying to let Riddick continue.

Riddick continued to inch himself in little by little. Rhea's eyes started to water, but she held on as much as possible.

When Riddick felt that he was inside enough, he started to slowly move in and out of Rhea. Rhea wrapped her arms around Riddick's torso and started to run her nails across his back which made him let out a seductive growl.

"I hope you know what you just started." Riddick said, seductively in Rhea's ear.

Rhea bucked her hips to let Riddick know that he could start going a little faster, he didn't hesitate to do so. Rhea started moving with Riddick, being careful not to move the wrong way and hurt herself. After about three minutes of doing this, Rhea let Riddick know that he could start increasing his speed. As Riddick did so he started sucking on Rhea's neck hard, which made her let out a small gasp. Rhea put her hand over her mouth so Jack and Imam wouldn't hear and decide to see what was going on. Rhea arched her back with every thrust Riddick gave her, she was so close to reaching her peak. Rhea had to turn her head and buried it in the pillow when she finally came. It was like a typhoon, wave after wave of pleasure washed over Rhea's body until she stopped jerking her hips.

Rhea looked up at Riddick.

"I told you you'd get the hang of it." Riddick said, before kissing Rhea and rolling off of her.

Riddick wrapped his arms around Rhea's waist, and pulled her closer so she could bury her face in his chest.

"I'm gonna need some new clothes." Rhea said.

"Yeah, we'll get you some tomorrow." Riddick said, burying his face in Rhea's hair.

"I love your scent. You smell like me." Riddick said.

"That's because we just did it." Rhea said, making Riddick chuckle.

"Hell yeah we did." Riddick said.


	22. Hey, Angel?

Rhea woke up with the sun inching itself across her face. Riddick was still fast asleep and Rhea had to go to the bathroom, so she moved as stealthily as she could so she wouldn't wake him up. Rhea went over to the drawers to grab something to wear so she wouldn't be walking naked through the halls.

"The only thing here to wear are robes like Imam has." Rhea said, frowning.

Rhea took a shirt that was just long enough to cover her butt, she didn't bother to put on pants because it seemed unnecessary. Once Rhea was done using the bathroom she went back to the room and snuggled up to Riddick, which caused him to wake up.

"Morning. How are you feeling?" Riddick said.

"Fine, I'm a little sore though." Rhea said.

"You'll get used to it." Riddick said, rubbing Rhea's thigh.

"So, am I going to be shopping with you or, Jack, today?" Rhea said.

"I'd rather you just stayed here with me for the day. Get in a few rounds." Riddick said, smirking.

"No way. I'd probably die from exhaustion." Rhea said, hitting him playfully.

"Then I guess you're going with, Jack, then." Riddick said.

"Sounds fine." Rhea said, using her arm as a pillow as she turned to face Riddick.

"Hey, Angel?" Riddick said.

"Yeah?" Rhea said, smiling at her new nickname.

"How do you feel with me?" Riddick said.

"What do you mean by that?" Rhea said, her smile fading into genuine confusion.

"Like, do you feel safe with me?" Riddick said, stroking Rhea's cheek and neck with his thumb.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Rhea said.

"Because mercs are always on my neck, and if you stick with me the same will go for you too." Riddick said.

"So? I can take care of myself, and I know I can trust you to have my back." Rhea said, smiling.

Rhea grabbed Riddick's face in her hands and kissed him with as much emotion as possible. When Rhea moved back, she could see Riddick smirking wide.

"I better go wake Jack up and tell her we're going clothes shopping later." Rhea said, getting up.

Riddick grabbed Rhea's wrist while she tried getting up.

"One more." Riddick said, referring to the kiss.

Rhea kissed Riddick again.

"This time for real." Riddick said.

Rhea kissed Riddick one more time.

"Okay, I really have to go get Jack." Rhea said.

* * *

"Your outfit is so coordinated." Jack said.

"Thanks. I can't have more than two colors at a time in my outfit, unless another color is already on the piece of clothing itself. It's an OCD thing I have." Rhea said.

"That's kind of weird." Jack said.

"Yeah, I know." Rhea said, rubbing her neck. "Lets find you something. Do you want boy clothes, or girl clothes?"

"Boy clothes." Jack said.

* * *

When Rhea and Jack got back to the temple, it was more alive than it was when they left that morning.

Imam was outside with the priests and other acolytes. Rhea didn't see Riddick, so she figured he was still inside.

"I'm going inside." Rhea said.

"Okay." Jack said.

Rhea walked into the apartment to see all the shades were drawn. There was barely any light, but Rhea could still see because of the light that came in through the cracks; it looked the way it would if the sun was starting to go down.

Rhea was walking until she heard someone let out what they thought was a silent breath.

"So, what did you do while, Jack, and I were away?" Rhea said.

Rhea turned around and there was a bare, tanned, muscular chest right in her face. Rhea looked up to see Riddick without his goggles on.

"It was fine. I got to rest a good while without you here to tempt me to do other things." Riddick said, wrapping his arms around Rhea's waist.

"You make it sound like I'm evil or something." Rhea said, wrapping her arms around Riddick's neck.

"You're evil for leaving me here wanting. By the way you look good." Riddick said.

"Thank you." Rhea said, smiling.

"But as I recall, you look even better with nothing on." Riddick said.

Riddick had gotten close to Rhea's ear when he said this.

"I could say the same thing about you." Rhea said, tugging on the waist of Riddick's pants.

Rhea put a couple kisses on Riddick's neck before they heard the door open.

"Why are all the shades drawn?" Jack said.

Riddick straightened up.

"Really?" Riddick said, looking up at the ceiling.

"You don't have to be so dramatic about it, we'll be able to do it another time. Like when we finally leave." Rhea said, whispering the last part so Jack wouldn't hear.

"Um, am I interrupting something?" Jack said, now in the same room Rhea and Riddick were in.

"No, not really." Rhea said.

"Speak for yourself." Riddick said.

"Don't mind him. What's up?" Rhea said.


	23. Neither

"Imam wants to see the two of you." Jack said.

"Why?" Rhea said, moving away from Riddick.

"He didn't tell me, he just said to come get you guys." Jack said.

"Give me a sec to get a shirt on." Riddick said.

"'Kay." Jack said, heading out of the room.

Riddick turned to go, and Rhea couldn't help but give him a quick pat on the butt.

"What? You need to watch yourself. I'll take you on this floor right here and now." Riddick said.

"Really now?" Rhea said, mischievously.

"Gross! I'm still here!" Jack said, from the other room.

"Sorry." Rhea said, while laughing

* * *

"Do you plan on staying here?" Imam said.

"At the temple or on New Mecca?" Rhea said.

"Neither." Riddick said.

"Does that go for the both of you?" Imam said.

"Yes." Riddick said.

"No." Rhea said.

"What?" Riddick said.

"I have to check this place to see if I have family or friends here." Rhea said.

"Well I plan on getting out of here as soon as possible, so make it quick." Riddick said.

"I can't just find them, pop in for a quick hello, and then just leave with some guy I just met." Rhea said.

"So, now I'm some guy you just met?" Riddick said.

"You know what I mean." Rhea said.

* * *

Rhea was walking around asking if anyone had seen someone from her family or one of her friends. Rhea hadn't had any luck so far. Rhea rested in a near by park and thought about what had happened earlier.

_Flashback_

"Can't you just hear me out for 5 minutes?" Rhea said.

"No, because you're too stuck on finding people that probably aren't even here." Riddick said, while getting ready to leave.

"So you're telling me that you'd take me somewhere else they'd probably be?" Rhea said.

"No, because I'm looking to be away from civilization. Where mercs and everyone else won't keep bothering me." Riddick said, never stopping to look at Rhea while he was getting ready.

Rhea stepped on something Riddick was about to pick up.

"Will you wait for me?" Rhea said.

"You've got the rest of the day to find them, if you don't then you come with me, and if you do find them you'll have to choose between me and them." Riddick said, picking up what Rhea's foot was resting on as if the force she put on it was nothing.

_End Flashback_

"I might not see them again if I leave with him. Maybe I should ask Imam for advice." Rhea said.

Rhea found Imam while he was praying with the others, so she waited until he was done to ask him.

"If you were me, would you go with a guy like, Riddick, somewhere that you would most likely never see anyone you knew ever again, or would you stay to find family and friends that have raised and loved you all and most of your life?" Rhea said.

"I don't know, because I haven't lived your life. _You_ have and you _still_ can." Imam said, before walking away.

* * *

"I didn't find them" Rhea said.

"Great, let's go." Riddick said, getting up.

"I've decided to keep looking." Rhea said.

Riddick stopped in his tracks.

Rhea felt a bit uneasy because she wasn't sure how Riddick was going to react.

Riddick turned to face Rhea and turned back around, he shook his head and started chuckling.

"Figures." Riddick said, he looked back at Rhea one more time. "Women." Riddick said, and walked out.

* * *

"You're not even going to say goodbye to me?" Rhea said.

"No, because people only do that sentimental crap when they feel someone matters to them." Riddick said.

Riddick continued to walk past Rhea when she stopped in shock of his words.

"So, I don't mean anything to you?" Rhea said angrily.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're just another one night stand. And trust me, there will be several others for me." Riddick said.

'This asshole needs to check himself.' Rhea thought.

Rhea waited until they reached an area with benches to start rubbing up against Riddick.

"What are you doing?" Riddick said.

"One more time, before you leave?" Rhea said.

"Hooked on it already, huh?" Riddick said, cockily.

'That's right, get cocky. See what happens when you do.' Rhea thought.

Rhea and Riddick sat down on a bench, and she started grinding her hips into his.

"We can't do it outside." Riddick said.

"You can feel me through your pants can't you?" Rhea said, starting to make out with Riddick.

Rhea could feel Riddick's answer before he said anything.

Riddick grabbed hold of Rhea's butt and started rocking her back and forth on him the way he wanted her to.

"Almost done." Riddick said, his hand up Rhea's shirt.

'That's my cue.' Rhea thought, getting off of Riddick.

"Why'd you stop?" Riddick said.

"I wanted to give you something before you left, and I thought blue balls would be appropriate. I wanted it to be something that let you know how I feel about you. Have fun walking to your ship." Rhea said, as she walked away.

* * *

After Rhea had gotten back to the apartment, she took the longest, hottest shower she had in her life. Rhea scrubbed as much of Riddick off of her as was physically possible.

'I'll never be clean again. I can't believe I had that asshole inside of me.' Rhea thought.

After Rhea was done crawled into bed.

"Where'd, Riddick, go?" Jack said, walking into Rhea's room after she noticed that Rhea came back alone.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me." Rhea said, rolling over so she was facing away from Jack.

"I thought you guys were like, together." Jack said, sitting down at the edge of the bed.

"No, he's just some guy I happened to think was worth something." Rhea said.

"Do you think you'll ever see him again?" Jack said.

Rhea thought for a few minutes before she answered Jack.

"If you love something set it free, and if it comes back to you it was meant to be." Rhea said.


End file.
